Iran’s slum population up 17 times in 30 years

Baku, Azerbaijan, March 8

By Khalid Kazimov – Trend:

Iranian MP and member of the parliament Social Commission Alireza Mahjoub said that Iran’s slum population has increased 17 times since 30 years ago.

The MP expressed pity that the slum population is still on the rise, ICANA news agency reported on March 7.

He counted the situation as a result of poor economic conditions forcing people to move near urban areas as they look for jobs and seek home in cheap places around big cities.

The Tehran representative to the parliament asserted that so far no organization has made any plans to tackle the problem.

“The 17 fold rise in slum population around big cities has also increased irremediable social trauma 17 fold,” the lawmaker pointed out.

Two days before Mahjoub made the statements, another member of the parliament Social Commission had also announced that Iran’s slum population stands at 10 million.

Abbas Salahi had called for the Interior Ministry to take action against the increasing number of people seeking asylum in slums.

The Iranian Health Ministry had earlier announced that around 10 million living in slums across the country lack the most basic health services.

In 2005 a nationwide project was launched to upgrade slum areas in three Iranian cities, with work scheduled to begin in a further five cities over the following eight years.

Following a three month pilot project in the south-eastern city of Zahedan, the Urban Upgrading and Housing Policy Reform project will now be implemented in the western city of Kermanshah and the southern port town of Bandar Abbas.

The project is funded by a $85 million loan from the World Bank which would cover the first four years of operations.

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