Ali Beitollahi, the head of the Risk Management Division of the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center, says the rate of subsidence in Tehran has reached 20 centimeters, and 3 million people in this city live in a “subsidence zone.”
On Wednesday, September 18, Beitollahi told ILNA news agency, “The subsidence zone in Tehran has reached 50 kilometers in length and 30 kilometers in width, and based on studies, including Tehran and its surrounding cities, more than three million people are living in the subsidence area.”
According to this official from the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, in previous years, subsidence in Tehran was only observed in parts of districts 17, 18, and 19 and had not reached its current extent, but now it occupies a vast area.
Beitollahi warned about the consequences of subsidence in Tehran, noting that the presence of fuel reservoirs in subsidence areas could have significant economic as well as social consequences.
According to him, the Rey fuel reservoir, which is the largest supplier of gasoline for Tehran, is located directly on the subsidence zone. The southern Tehran refinery is also situated within this same subsidence area.
He also identified industrial areas as part of the high-risk regions of Tehran, stating that many factories and facilities are located directly on subsidence zones.
Geology experts assess that the mismanagement of water resources is the main reason for the worsening of subsidence in various parts of Iran.
Official reports indicate that at least 14 provinces in Iran are affected by subsidence, with subsidence rates exceeding 10 centimeters.
Previously, the head of the Department of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Tehran Municipality referred to subsidence as a “silent earthquake” or “earth cancer,” stating that “Tehran holds the global record for ground subsidence.”
Despite the threat that subsidence poses to the safety of citizens, a comprehensive solution to address it has yet to be implemented.
Beitollahi had previously criticized the inaction of institutions in addressing subsidence, stating, “There is no provision regarding subsidence in any of the country’s construction laws or regulations.”
Ali Javidaneh, the head of Iran’s National Cartographic Center, also described the phenomenon of land subsidence in May 2024 as a “time bomb,” saying, “We have sent maps of the country’s subsidence zones to the responsible agencies, and these agencies must explain why they are not using this information for their planning and actions.”
The critical situation of land subsidence in Iran is not limited to Tehran and threatens many other major cities and even historical landmarks.
In recent months, experts have also warned about the increasing rate of land subsidence in historical areas and its destructive impact on historical monuments such as Persepolis and Naqsh-e Jahan Square.
