A submerged car at the site of a flash flood in Zayegan village, north of Tehran, in August 2022. EPA
A submerged car at the site of a flash flood in Zayegan village, north of Tehran, in August 2022. EPA
A submerged car at the site of a flash flood in Zayegan village, north of Tehran, in August 2022. EPA
A submerged car at the site of a flash flood in Zayegan village, north of Tehran, in August 2022. EPA

Iranian city hit by heaviest floods for a century


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Twenty people have been injured in the Iranian city of Astara after the heaviest rains in 100 years, local officials have said.

Floods have also hit the neighbouring city of Talesh, also on the Caspian Sea coast near Azerbaijan.

"Heavy rains ... have fallen over Astara which have not been seen in 100 years," Gilan province's head of crisis management Amir Moradi told the ISNA news agency.

Almost 100 people were killed in flash floods that swept across the country last year, affecting 21 out of 31 provinces.

More rain is expected on Tuesday in the country's Gilan and Manzandaran provinces.

Footage on social media showed rescuers using small boats to move around Astara, where bridges and roads collapsed.

Unprecedented flooding has impacted many countries in the past few months, with thousands killed in Libya's Derna and Beijing witnessing its heaviest rains in 140 years.

The river systems that flow from Iran's extensive mountain ranges make it vulnerable to flash flooding.

It is particularly vulnerable to climate change and has also battled extreme heat this summer.

Last month, government offices and banks shut for two days due to "unprecedented heat" as temperatures hit 50 degrees in the south-west.

Dust storms have led to hundreds being taken to hospital.

Severe water shortages, a long-term problem in Iran, have also worsened.

The Iran Meteorological Organisation estimates 97 per cent of the country faces issues with some level of drought.

Locals in Tehran and Karaj faced significant water shortages earlier this summer, which have previously led to protests and unrest.

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Greenheart Organic Farms 

This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.

www.greenheartuae.com

Modibodi  

Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.

www.modibodi.ae

The Good Karma Co

From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes. 

www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco

Re:told

One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.

www.shopretold.com

Lush

Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store. 

www.mena.lush.com

Bubble Bro 

Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.

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Coethical 

This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.

www.instagram.com/coethical

Eggs & Soldiers

This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.

www.eggsnsoldiers.com

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Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.

Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.

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Updated: September 19, 2023, 12:13 PM`