Iranian people suffer from the worst drought in 50 years, with precipitation falling by 52% since 2020. There is not enough water for both agriculture and people.
There are widespread riots in Iran over water supply problems. The victims of clashes with security forces are counted from 2 to 6 people.
Protests are taking place in Ahwaz, Hemidiye, Boston, Khuzestan, Bender Khomeini, and several other areas. This was reported by Focus which quotes the Telegram channel of Focus military analyst Igal Levin.
The protests in the country have been going on for several days. It all started in the province of Khuzestan, where water problems are recorded because, according to the local newspaper Irib News, the president is silent about the protests and says that the state will solve the water problems in the province if the drought recedes.
As a result of protests and clashes with law enforcement officers, six people were reported dead. The source is Focus magazine military analyst Igal Levin, who wrote about this on his channel, relying on the opposition media in Iran. However, official sources provide other data. The deputy governor of Khuzestan says that actually, not 6 or 3 people died. According to him, only one person was killed because of protesters who shot at a transformer.
Euronews writes regarding the police about the two dead who were killed not by law enforcement officers but by rebels.
Protesting people come out with placards: “I want to drink; water is my right.” Police special forces use tear gas and firearms to disperse people against the protesters.
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The problem with water in Khuzistan is exacerbated by the uncontrolled construction of dams on rivers and the change of channels for agriculture.
Five dams have been built on the Karun River, which provides water to the region, and work is under way on ten projects to transfer water to the other areas.
The problems of the Iranian government are not limited to social unrest due to water shortages. At the same time, the Afghan Taliban movement took control of the most significant border checkpoint on the border with Iran.
We should note that the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi won the elections in Iran. He became the first president against whom the United States imposed sanctions before taking office.
We have written about why the long-term US sanctions against Iran are deteriorating the environment here.You may read about the first clashes due to the water crisis, which has affected households, devastated agriculture, and livestock farming, and led to power blackouts, here.
