Iran Limits Protests Against Increasing Water Scarcity


For two weeks, the Iranian government turned a blind eye to escalating protests in the central Iranian city of Isfahan due to scarce water supplies, and watched the protests grow as restaurants served free soup to demonstrators and barbers offered free haircuts. State television even aired interviews with farmers discussing their grievances.

But after the protests spread to at least one city, what was predicted on Friday happened: The government violently collapsed.

Security forces using batons, shields and guns filled the city’s riverbed around 4 pm on Thursday as a group of farmers sipped tea and chatted around a campfire about protest strategy.

Hassan Tavakoli, a 47-year-old farmer from Isfahan, said in a phone call that security forces used a megaphone to tell the farmers they had 10 minutes to evacuate. His account was supported by several videos shared with The New York Times by residents of Isfahan.

“Without a chance to move, suddenly our tents were set on fire and they started shooting at us with tear gas and in the air,” Tavakoli said. He said there were several families in the crowd with small children and two babies.

“I never expected them to do this to us, beat us, shoot us and harm the farmers,” he said.

For more than two weeks, Mr. Tavakoli and hundreds of other farmers had been protesting in the dry bed of the Zayanderoud River, the city’s historic past. Tens of thousands of people had joined them in a show of solidarity.

Their demands: To restore water flow to the river to help irrigate farmland that has been wasted by years of mismanagement of water resources.

“We have nothing left of our land and livelihoods, we just want our right to water,” Tavakoli said. It has three hectares of farmland that was once filled with wheat, barley and vegetable crops. The land has been dry and barren for 15 months, forcing Mr. Tavakoli to sell his animals in order to survive.

Iran is facing increasing water scarcity problems due to years of mismanagement. In the case of Isfahan, water was diverted by underground pipes away from farmland and to industrial complexes in the desert province of Yazd and the religious city of Qom for drinking water.

The Iranian Meteorological Organization estimates that about 97 percent of the country is struggling with some level of drought. The country’s former energy minister warned in May that Iran was facing its driest summer in 50 years, with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) leading to power outages and water shortages.

Water shortage protests in JulyThe demonstrations, staged mostly by farmers from the ethnic Arab population of Khuzestan Province, were also violently crushed by the government. As a workaround, the authorities opened a curse and the water flowed back into the river, helping to irrigate the farmers’ lands and irrigate their livestock.

In Thursday’s crackdown, Mr. Tavakoli demanded that the security forces issue a statement announcing the end of the sit-ins, although no decision was reached and the government did not take steps to address their concerns.

On Friday, security forces attacked with more violence as people gathered to protest. In the city center of Isfahan, clashes spread from the dry riverbed to the streets. According to two eyewitnesses in the area and videos shared widely on social media, security guards sprayed the protesters with birds and pepper spray and beat them with batons.

There is no official death toll, but videos and eyewitnesses said scores of demonstrators were injured. Mr. Tavakoli said dozens of farmers were also seriously injured in the clashes, but he had not heard of any deaths. Human rights defenders said dozens were arrested.

Videos on social media showed blood running from the nose of a woman in a black veil; a middle-aged man with a bruised, swollen eye with blood running out; and one man had red spots on his bare back from bird shooting.

Some videos showed protesters throwing stones at riot police and chanting “shame on you” and “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei”, targeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all key states. and security issues.

Residents reported that mobile and internet service was interrupted in Isfahan and Khuzestan as the government tried to cut communication and organization.

Experts on Iran’s water scarcity problems say climate change and diminishing rainfall are exacerbating the drought caused by mismanagement.

Kaveh Madani, a world-renowned water expert and former vice-president of Iran’s environmental department, said: “This is water bankruptcy, there are many water rights holders, but there is not enough water in the accounts.” “The people above and below Zayanderoud want water for everyone. But this task is impossible.”

The Zayanderoud River winds through the historic city of Isfahan. The leafy riverbanks are the city’s main green space, and families gather for picnics on summer evenings. In autumn, the river serves as a stop for migratory birds that flock south.



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