In a meeting with Ahwaz's new head of energy, Iran's Deputy Energy Minister, Mohammad Ahmadian, confirmed that the government was studying the possibility of two new nuclear power plants in the province. Ahwaz (Khuzestan) lies in an earthquake zone, bordering Iraq and close to Kuwait on the Gulf coast.
The regime appears to be resurrecting plans drawn up under the Shah, who had signed a contract with the French government in 1969 to construct a nuclear power station near the towns of Falahieh (Shadegan) and Mohamareh (Khorramshahr). The plans were never fully realised. The Iranian regime now plans to use Russian technology to construct a power station.
Reza Vashahi, an Ahwazi human rights activist, said: "Building petrochemical plants and nuclear power stations without the consent of the local population is wrong. It is the same as dropping chemical weapons and atomic bombs on their land. Ahwazi Arabs continue to suffer the effects of chemical and biological weapons used in the Iran-Iraq War. We don't want more pollution and more environmental threats.
"Ahwazi Arabs are concerned about safety, fearing that the use of Russian technology in inexperienced Iranian hands could lead to a Chernobyl-like disaster, which will affect the entire region.
"The land and rivers are already heavily polluted by the oil, petrochemical and steel industries due to a lack of health and safety controls and little or no treatment or monitoring of industrial effluent. The situation is so bad that the province's head of fisheries has recently announced that fish output was down by 4,000 tonnes due to pollution. [ click for further details ]
"Yet, the region's indigenous people are not benefitting from any employment at these plants. The Ahwazi Arabs are suffering the effects of pollution, but are denied jobs in the polluting industries. They don't want potentially disastrous nuclear power plants near their homes."
Labels: environment
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keywords: ahvaz ahwaz ahwazi arabistan khuzestan khuzistan khuzestani arab arabistan iran iranian human rights security oil news ahmadinejad ethnic cleansing
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