A Forty-Day Account of the Flood in Khuzestan in ‘Seil Yari’

According to Mehr reporter, this work is a field-based and documented account of the great flood of April 2019 in Khuzestan province. This incident affected a large part of the cities and villages in the south and west of the country and became one of the most significant natural and human events in Iran’s recent years. ‘Seil Yari’ is the result of the author’s direct presence in the flood-affected areas. Amiri has tried in this work, with a humane and realistic perspective, to recount the public experiences, emotions, reactions, and the spontaneous formation of volunteer groups during the critical days of that incident.

In this book, the author narrates from the heart of the flood and among the people with a reportage and narrative prose; from the villages that were in the path of the water, to the tireless efforts of local forces, young volunteers, and relief groups who were in the field day and night to save villages and strengthen dikes. In the process of writing, the author has tried to avoid any analysis or personal interpretation and to report the narrative based on direct observations and hearings.

In a section of the book, we read:

We arrive at Alaone Zaif. It is near the Karkheh regulating dam. People have built a dike and raised it. The village has not been flooded… but it has; dry soil should not deceive one. There are things happening underneath. Water usually works from below. It goes, penetrates, works, wets. Wetness is from underneath, not from above. Cracks on the walls and dampness show that this water permeates wherever it wants. The sun is tangent to the horizon. The redness of the sky is visible behind the Arab man. The shadow easily advances and expands. People are standing on the dike. They respect us. They place their hand on their chest and shake our hand with the other.

The book ‘Seil Yari’, written by Meysam Amiri, has been published in 188 pages with a price of 265,000 Tomans by Soureh Mehr Publications.