Abbasali Oveisi, the Director General of Welfare in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, has revealed that 64% of Zahedan’s population resides in informal settlements, concentrated within only 20% of the city’s total area.

He attributed the expansion of these marginalized communities to poverty and a lack of job opportunities in rural areas, which force many families to migrate to the city in search of a livelihood. Oveisi also stressed that insufficient funding has been allocated to address and mitigate this growing issue.

Zahedan, the provincial capital, has long struggled with economic hardship and inadequate infrastructure, exacerbating social inequalities and urban overcrowding.