Photographer of the week
JALAL SHAMSAZARAN

عکاس هفته

جلال شمس اذران

The wind will take us away

Sistan and Balouchestan in the Southeast of Iran is one of the regions that is affected harshly by the drying of Hamoun Lake. Climate changes, drought, reduction of rain, governmental mismanagement and drying of the lakes and wetlands are the most important problems of this region. The consequences of these changes include dust, sand and salt storms, respiratory diseases, silent migration, Water scarcity has led to the destruction of agriculture and livestock in the region and has widened unemployment and poverty, changing geography, as well as disruption of population structure. In addition, sanctions against Iran in recent years.

The government cannot afford to compensate unemployed farmers, while many farmers and livestock farmers are owed to the country’s banking system because of a sharp decline in their income. More than 3,000 villages in the province with 347,000 people lack any water supply system and drinking water is provided by residents with tankers, which is often delayed. The spread of smuggling of drugs from eastern borders and the spread of respiratory and eye diseases caused by dust are another sign of drought.

 Before the drought in 1999, Sistan was considered the wheat store of Iran. By a reduction of the amount of water from the Hirmand River in Afghanistan entering into this region, Hamoun Lake and wetland, there has been an increase in the pace of the 120-days winds as a result of the drought in Hamoun Lake. This in combination with the dried sediments on the floor of the Lake have created environmental and health risks for the residents. More than four hundred thousand people are affected by this drought. only hope and point of power of the Sistan economy, was dried.

This is a long-term project that I am working on the issue of climate change and its impact on people’s lives in Iran. The drying of Hamon Lake in Sistan and Baluchistan is part of this long-term project. Sistan and Balouchestan is the huge area of the Iran’s geography that is facing with serious climate issues. The importance of it is not just limited to the Iran, also is treating the few countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan as well. In the meantime it is important geopolitical spot on earth. With the concern of it, visibility of this story in global media is great importance.

The agony of remembering

What bothers my father is not forgetting, but instead, it is remembering. Often my 83-year-old father recalls and relives the 1915 invasion of Tabriz by Russia, the death of soldiers and holy fighters of the democratic party in Azerbaijan, the central government killing fathers as their sons bared witness, the snowy days they had to walk from home to the workplace, and lots of other old happenings that always make my father bursts into tears as he remembers them. I believe that my father is a part of the oral history of my country that is being extinguished.

My father and my aunt are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, a path that my grandfather had taken as well. This disease is hereditary in our family. My father’s present condition may end up being my own in the future.

In Iran, there are over 700 thousand people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and the vast majority of the population were born between the years 1980 to 1983. Alzheimer’s is an immediate problem, according to medical experts. It seems unlikely that our country is going to be able to support and treat this issue at every societal level. Monthly expenses of a person living with Alzheimer’s comes to at least $100, and the majority of people are uninsured. Moreover, the problem has intensified due to stringent economic sanctions.

Among all this misery, there is just my mother. She has always stood with my father through thick and thin, and her calmness and courage have allowed me to discover love, compassion and empathy. For my father and many other fathers in a similar predicament, the toll of this disease is not only the loss of memory but also of the oral history of my country during those turbulent years of suffocation, censorship and humiliation. After my father died, my mother was left alone. She inherited all the memories and oral history of those dark years. She now doesn’t know whether to forget them or remember, they are both equally painful to her.