Extreme Heat, Power Outages Cripple Iran’s Khuzestan Province

Frequent power outages and temperatures reaching 60 °C (140 °F) have created crisis conditions in Iran’s Khuzestan province, disrupting daily life and threatening public health.

Markets are operating at half capacity, and major industries, including steel and poultry farms, have reduced production due to power cuts.

Many schools lack air conditioning and safe drinking water as power outages continue, according to local activists.

“Families are forced to spend days in darkness without water,” said Fatemeh Savari, a Khuzestan-based social activist. “The elderly and children suffer most.”

The province faces additional environmental crises, including wetland pollution, dried marshes, and dust storms from fires that have increased respiratory illnesses.

Despite Khuzestan’s vast oil and gas reserves, residents lack electricity for air conditioning during extreme heat.

Local activists warned that without government intervention, the consequences could be “terrible and unpredictable.”

Khuzestan, home to much of Iran’s oil industry, has long suffered from poor infrastructure and environmental degradation despite its natural wealth.

The power crisis has also affected internet connectivity, with some villages completely cut off from online services.