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Features

Kazerun: The Most Underdeveloped City in Fars Province

May 18, 2018
4 min read
Kazerun: The Most Underdeveloped City in Fars Province

The city of Kazerun, which has seen violent protests in recent days following on from a series of similar protests in April, is one of the most disenfranchized and underdeveloped urban areas in the county, and in Fars province in southwestern Iran.

Within the province, the troubled county of Kazerun ranks among the lowest in the province when it comes to health, education, culture and access to city services. 

Since summer 2017, the people of Kazerun have staged protests against plans to break the county of Kazerun in two. On Wednesday, May 16, the protests turned violent when the police and the security forces fired shots into the crowd, reportedly killing at least three people and injuring several others.

According to academic research carried out by the Kurdistan University of Medical Science, Kazerun scores 25 points in health, educational, cultural and city services, the lowest in the province, while the city of Lamerd, with 58 points, stands at the top. Kazerun shares the distinction of being “most underdeveloped” with eight other urban centers.

The research shows marked divides among counties in Fars province when it comes to the areas studied — health, education, cultural and city services. The counties of Bavanat, Mehr and Lamerd score the highest marks in health services, while Zarrin Dasht, Farashband, Firoozabad and Kazerun score lowest.

In education, Bavanat and Mamasani score the highest marks and Zarrin Dasht and Shiraz the lowest. Lamerd also enjoys scores top when it comes to access to cultural services, while Fasa, Marv Dasht and Mamasani sit at the bottom of the table. With regard to city services, Lamerd, again, stands at the top of the chart and Darab, Mamasani, Kazerun and Shiraz sit at the bottom.

In health services, the counties of Bavanat, Lamerd and Mehr occupy the top ranks, while Farashband, Firoozabad, Kazerun and Zarrin Dasht are at the bottom. 

The ancient city of Shiraz is the capital of Fars province, but in three out of four areas — education, city services, and cultural services — it scores low marks. The study, published by Kurdistan University of Medical Science’s Journal of Medical Science (Zanko), attributes this to the city’s high population.

In general, the study classifies Fars counties into three categories: “less developed,” “developed,” and “more developed.” Using statistics from 2010, it looks at health, education, cultural and municipal services. The study finds that 36 percent of Fars province’s counties, including Kazerun and Shiraz, fall into the “less developed” category.

Another body of research, based on six main indicators and 52 sub-indicators, finds that during the 1990s and 2000s, the number of developed counties in Fars province decreased, while the number of underprivileged counties increased. According to this study, the fall in the number of developed counties is due to the unfair distribution of services and infrastructure and to the indicators related to agriculture, education and health. This study also find Kazerun to be among the most underdeveloped counties in Fars province.

And now, on top of these very clear indicators that Kazerun is underprivileged, with its people cut off from vital resources and services, the residents of Kazerun have to deal with another crisis, the division of the county. This crisis has political origins and has led to violence, deaths and injuries.

A group of people in Kazerun — it is unclear how many — object to plans to break their county into two. Since summer 2017, they have tried every peaceful means at their disposal to prevent the planned breakup, but on Wednesday, May 16, the police and security forces used live ammunition to stop their protests.

It is not clear where these protests will lead, but they point to a chronic and widespread problem in Iran. The Islamic Republic is home to many ethnicities and religions and, at least in some parts of the country, tribal and clan loyalties are still strong. As a result, there are those who want to “secede” from existing administrative divisions and there are those who oppose it. Kazerun is just one case in point. But in this case at least, a political and social demand has turned into a security issue for the government of the Islamic Republic.

 

More on the unrest in Kazerun:

Kazerun’s Bloody Protests, May 17, 2018

Kazerun Protests: More than a Local Dispute, April 24, 2018

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