E/C.12/IRN/CO /2 property, and compensation, as appropriate, including in line with the Committee’s general comment No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions . The Committee also requests the State party to include in its next periodic report information on the extent and the root causes of homelessness in the State party. The Committee draws the State party’s attention to its general comment No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing. 23. The Committee is concerned about poor living conditions in regions traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities, in some cases completely lacking basic services such as electricity, plumbing, sewage systems, public transport, medical facilities or schools (art. 11). The Committee recommends that the State party take immediate steps, inter alia by increasing budgetary allocations, to improve housing and living conditions in regions traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities, including access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, electricity, transportation facilities, schools and health-care centres. 24. The Committee is concerned about land expropriation and forced evictions caused by some development projects and that this has disproportionately affected minority groups, including the Kurdish and Baloch communities (art. 11). The Committee urges the State party to refrain from forcibly evicting individuals and expropriating land in the context of development projects, including in regions traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities . It recalls that in cases where eviction or relocation is considered to be justified, it should be carried out in strict compliance with the relevant provisions of international human rights law. In this regard, the Committee draws the State party’s attention to its general comment No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions, which includes guidance on, inter alia, adequate legal remedies, adequate compensation, and effective and meaningful consultation. 25. The Committee is concerned that the province of Sistan and Baluchestan is characterized by the State party’s worst indicators for life expectancy, access to water and sanitation, and infant and child mortality. It is also concerned that there has been insufficient investment by the State party in the province’s health clinics and other facilities in remote rural areas (art. 12). The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent steps to increase the allocation of public funds to improve the health situation of inhabitants of the province of Sistan and Baluchestan, in particular focusing on the health infrastructure and the provision of adequate water and sanitation. 26. The Committee is concerned about the adverse environmental effects of the river diversion programme, sugar-cane farming and industrial pollution in Khuzestan province and the negative impact this has on the enjoyment by Ahwazi Arabs of their rights to an adequate standard of living and health (arts . 11 and 12). The Committee recommends that the State party take urgent steps to counter the impact of river diversions and industrial activity in Khuzestan, including environmental pollution and water shortages, on agriculture and human health. 27. The Committee is concerned about: (a) the high drop-out rates of girls in rural schools upon reaching puberty and of indigenous Arab children; (b) the high illiteracy rates among Ahwazi Arabs as well as Azeris; (c) the lack of female teachers in rural areas; and (d) the stark differences in teaching staff capacities and material equipment between schools in urban and rural areas (arts. 13 and 14). The Committee recommends that the State party address the high drop-out rate of girls in rural areas and of Ahwazi Arab children. The Committee recommends that the State party take measures to address the high illiteracy rates among Ahwazi Arabs 6