Iran

Urban Development in Tehran

Mr Shirazi

I came to Tehran just over 30 years ago from the city of Shiraz . One of the first things I did when I came to the city was visit the Karage River . The Karage River used to flow through the centre of Tehran . As a child, my father had told me about the river and I had always dreamt of seeing it. He told me that people used to sit by the river and relax. By the time I arrived however, it was too late. It had already been destroyed. The increasing construction and growing population meant the end of the river.

Tehran has grown so fast. When I arrived here I can't remember there being high rise apartment blocks, nor houses in the hills surrounding the city. Now there are roads everywhere and apartment blocks are visible as far as the eye can see. It's a real pity that Tehran had sprawled so far as it has damaged the native flora and fauna. Tehran continues to sprawl and humans continue to compete with other species for space. I feel that in another 10 years there will not be much left.

With so much construction everywhere there is a big problem with the contamination of the water supply. In Tehran , sewerage and industrial waste pollutes the water. I believe it also pollutes the fruits and vegetables we eat. Many people, including myself, don't trust the quality and safety of the food supply. Each year my wife and I drive to other areas of the country to by our produce. We then prepare it and freeze it. I believe that this is why there are more people today with cancer and other illnesses.

Of course, there are many benefits to the development and growth of Tehran . We have heating and cooling systems in our homes and we use machines instead of animal labour. These developments are improving our lives, but they all have a cost, not just to Tehran , but to the whole planet. All across the world we are consuming more materials and emitting more greenhouse gases. All nations need to work together to solve this problem. For example, more industrialised nations need to take responsibility for the emissions, while at the same time assist developing nations with cleaner technologies.