More than 15,000 children in Ahvaz have been diagnosed with asthma in less than 30 days due to environmental destruction.

Dr. Mohsen Hossein Zadeh, the head of Abazar Children’s Hospital in Ahvaz, stated that more than 15,000 children have been diagnosed with asthma in less than 30 days due to environmental destruction in Ahvaz.

Reliable sources reported that the actual number of asthma patients is significantly higher, with most cases occurring in children between the ages of one and six.

According to these sources, the spread of such diseases is a direct result of Iran’s deliberate policies, including the drying up of rivers and the prohibition of agriculture. These measures have significantly contributed to desertification in Ahvaz, which, in turn, has led to frequent dust storms covering Ahvaz’s cities throughout the year.

Iranian authorities have constructed dozens of dams in Ahvaz, restricting water behind them and diverting its flow to other Iranian cities and provinces to boost tourism there. The number of dams built in Ahvaz has exceeded 72.

The consequences of these policies, which Iran implements to alter the demographic composition of Ahvaz, include:

• The widespread occurrence of cancer, with Ahvaz ranking first in Iran for leukemia cases due to deliberate environmental destruction.

• The spread of asthma, with an estimated 100,000 children affected in Ahvaz.

• A significant increase in congenital birth defects, where newborns are born missing body parts or with severe deformities.

• The forced displacement of thousands of families to other cities.

• A rise in poverty and crime rates.

Source: Ahwazi Organization for Human Rights