Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - June 21, 2001 - Hashemi's Visit to Soltan Ali Mohammadzadeh, a Worker and Gardener at His Home, Who Faced Confrontations with Security Forces, Which Hashemi or the Publisher Preferred to Pass Over

Account of Water Cutoffs in Cities Due to Drought, Justified as Water and Sewage Pipe Repairs

Visit to Soltan Ali Mohammadzadeh, the Worker and Gardener at Home, Who Faced Confrontations with Security Forces, Which Hashemi or the Publisher Preferred to Pass Over

Inauguration of Khorasan Steel in Nishapur by Seyyed Mohammad Khatami and Hashemi's Complaints about the Stopping of Other Development Projects

Full Text of the Daily Entry:

I was at home. Most of the time was spent reading. I cleaned the bottom of the pool. The water at home has been cut off; apparently, due to a shortage of water from the drought and efforts for conservation, although it is officially stated as pipe repairs.

The drought is putting a lot of pressure on us. In many villages, there is no water, and water is being transported by tankers. Many villagers are migrating to cities for a livelihood. So far, nearly 200 cities are facing water shortages, and in some cities, like Mashhad, water rationing has begun. I reassured [Mr.] Soltan Ali [Mohammadzadeh], who comes for two or three hours daily to tend to the garden; the guards had treated him poorly, and he was upset.

In the Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, sanctions against Iran and Libya have been extended for another five years; the [George] Bush administration had requested a two-year extension. Political parties in Pakistan condemned [Pervez] Musharraf's actions regarding assuming the title of president, and the U.S. and several other countries also condemned it.

In Jordan, a problem arose with the arrival of Ibrahim Ghoush, one of the exiled leaders of Hamas, at the airport; he has been stranded at the airport as the Jordanian government does not allow entry, and he is unwilling to return. In the Lebanese Parliament, during the budget discussion, Hezbollah has positioned itself against the government, [Walid] Jumblatt, and Amal.

Today, Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami, [the President], inaugurated the Khorasan Steel Complex in Nishapur. The first phase of it started during the Construction Administration, and today another part has come to fruition. It was supposed that simultaneously the Sangaan iron ore mines, railway line, coal mine, Tabas thermal power plant, and Tabas tar refinery would be implemented, but unfortunately, none of these have been completed.