November 8, 2026; Following severe autumn rainfalls, Ilam Province, which ranks first in Iran's Misery Index, has faced widespread damage resulting from heavy rain and flooding. At least eight counties of this province and their affiliated cities have been embroiled in the aftermath of severe rainfall and floods; ranging from heavy damages to shops and residential homes and citizens becoming trapped in floodwaters, to extensive damage to connecting roads that were already narrow and unsafe. Furthermore, the province's nomadic and livestock farming sector—upon which a significant portion of the population's livelihood relies due to deprivation and the absence of industries—has suffered severe losses.

According to reports, in counties and cities including Ilam (the provincial capital), Dehloran, Abdanan, Darreh Shahr, Mehran, Sirvan, Chardavol, Holeylan, and Murmuri, severe rainfalls and storm-related consequences have led to widespread flooding of public thoroughfares, blockage of drainage channels, and the risk of overflowing rivers. These conditions have inflicted severe damages on citizens' homes and shops, mountain roads, and agricultural and nomadic infrastructure. This situation has also fueled public protests against the province's executive and administrative institutions—protests that arise amid years of unanswered demands addressed to municipalities to improve the province's infrastructure in sewage services and surface water drainage.

Following these severe rainfalls, at least eight counties in Ilam and their affiliated cities have been impacted by floodwaters. The consequences of these rainfalls include flooding in thoroughfares and water entering residential homes in Ilam, the provincial capital; severe damage to nomadic routes (il-rahs), nomadic areas, and livestock shelters in Dehloran; damage to nomadic roads and livestock casualties in Abdanan; flooding of thoroughfares, infrastructure damage, and harm to agricultural land in Darreh Shahr; damage to water transmission lines and treatment plants in Mehran; and flooding and landslides along connecting routes in Sirvan, Chardavol, and Badreh counties.

Images obtained by Kurdpa indicate widespread flooding in the streets of Ilam and the complete destruction of flood-control barriers along the roadsides. A citizen states in a video obtained by Kurdpa that these flood barriers have no effect whatsoever, and with the first heavy rainfall, floodwaters enter the shops.

Reports indicate that these incidents resulted in no fatalities, but more than 50 occupants of vehicles trapped in floodwaters and residents of flooded homes were rescued. Regarding municipal and financial damages, landslides occurred at more than 20 locations along connecting routes and mountain roads. Additionally, in the water and wastewater sector of Ilam and Mehran counties, floodwaters caused over 76 billion Rials in damage by destroying coastal retaining walls, sewage treatment plant walls, and transmission pipeline infrastructure.

In the nomadic and livestock farming sector—upon which a vital part of the lives and livelihoods of the province's population depends—the disruption of nomadic roads and the flooding of tents resulted in livestock casualties and the destruction of shelters and livestock feed in Dehloran and Abdanan counties. To date, precise figures regarding the total extent of these damages have not been published. Although the Director General of Nomadic Affairs announced the registration of incurred damages for budget allocation, nomads emphasized that loans are incapable of compensating for the losses sustained.

Despite forecasts of adverse weather conditions and prior knowledge that Ilam Province's infrastructure is incapable of handling such rainfalls, schools were hurriedly closed in the final hours of the day on Saturday, November 7. Today, Sunday, November 8, 2026, all schools in Ilam Province across all educational levels, from primary to secondary, as well as kindergartens, remain closed, with instruction being conducted remotely (virtually).

Ilam Province: Rank One in Iran's Misery Index

Ilam Province is described by a phenomenon known as the "Paradox of Wealth and Deprivation"—a province that, despite possessing the country's second-largest gas reserves and third-largest oil reserves, presents some of the worst socio-economic statistics and has become known in development literature as the "forgotten" or "marginalized" province.

●       Rank One in the Misery Index: According to official statistics and economic analyses, Ilam Province tops the Misery Index chart (the combination of inflation rate and unemployment rate) among all provinces in Iran, recording figures exceeding 120% in composite misery indices.

●       Inflation Rate: Ilam consistently ranks among the top 3 provinces with the highest annual and point-to-point inflation rates in Iran, placing compounding pressure on household purchasing power.

●       Unemployment Rate and Underemployment: Although official state employment statistics sometimes portray the unemployment rate as single-digit, youth and university graduate unemployment in this province remains extremely high, with "underemployment" and informal jobs constituting the vast majority.

●       Social Consequences (High Rates of Suicide and Migration): Economic pressure and the lack of a clear outlook have placed Ilam at the forefront of distressing social statistics, such as high suicide rates and widespread migration of specialized workforce and youth to major metropolises.

Why Ilam Remains Deprived and Economically Undeveloped:

Ilam was on the frontlines of the Iran–Iraq War. During eight years of war, all of the province's limited infrastructure was destroyed, and no opportunity was granted to the province to develop or attract investment—such as occurred in other central provinces during the 1980s—nor was reconstruction properly executed after the war.

Ilam holds 11% of Iran's gas resources and 4% of its oil resources, hosting facilities such as the Ilam Gas Refinery and petrochemical complexes; however, the revenue generated from these massive resources is transferred to the central treasury, while the province's share of environmental tax allocations (haqq-e alandegi) and corporate social responsibility funds remains negligible. Furthermore, downstream industries have not been established, and the primary profit leaves the province through the sale of raw materials. Local labor also holds a minute share in senior management and major oil projects, leaving youth unemployment exceptionally high.

On another front, Ilam has yet to be connected to Iran's national railway network, and the province's mountainous roads remain narrow and unsafe, driving up transit and transportation costs. Consequently, the lack of infrastructure and incentive policies has rendered the private sector unwilling to invest in the province.

Meanwhile, the Mehran International Border crossing serves as the largest gateway for pilgrim transit and cargo exports to Iraq; however, the profits derived from these commercial exchanges have not been spent on Ilam's sustainable infrastructure, leaving the local population without a share from this customs and transit hub.

Why a Major Portion of Ilam's Population Engages in Livestock Farming and Nomadic Life:

●       From past to present, Ilam has been one of the primary centers of tribal and nomadic life in Iran. Yet despite vast oil and gas resources, a large portion of the province's population remains tied to livestock farming and nomadic livelihoods.

●       The causes for the prevalence of and reliance on this sector stem historically from tribal life within the geography and rich pastures of the Zagros region; however, the primary driver in the contemporary era is the lack of job-creating industries, absence of state investment, and lack of alternative employment opportunities in the province, forcing people to rely on traditional livestock farming to secure basic livelihoods.

●       Ilam's nomadic population (comprising approximately 10% of the province's population), holding 1.4 million head of livestock, produces 65% of the province's red meat (10,000 tons annually), thousands of tons of dairy products, and the majority of prominent handicrafts (such as embossed kilims), bearing the primary responsibility for regional protein supply and food security.

●       Livestock farming in Ilam remains trapped in deprivation due to raw-material sales and exploitation by middlemen (caused by the absence of processing industries, packaging facilities, and modern slaughterhouses), extremely fragile infrastructure (complete severance of nomadic routes with every rainfall and lack of sustainable water supply), severe price hikes in animal feed, and the failure to pay actual damage compensations during natural disasters (such as these recent floods).