Iranians gather in mass protest against water crisis caused by dry river
Thousands of protesters gathered in Isfahan, central Iran, on Friday to express their anger after the city’s vital river dried up due to drought and diversion.
The massive protest, which drew farmers and others from across Isfahan province, was the largest since the water crisis protests began on November 9.
“Thousands of people from Isfahan, farmers from the east and west of the province, have gathered on the dry bed of the Zayandeh Rood river with a key demand: let the river run,” reported a journalist for state television in Isfahan, broadcasting live images of the demonstration on Friday. .
“For years, there has been no will to solve the problems of this important river,” said the journalist.
Images broadcast on the canal showed men and women in a crowd spreading across the riverbed clapping in unison.
“Looted for 20 years” and “the water must return,” they chanted.
Others were seen holding banners reading “East Isfahan has become a desert” and “Our water is being held hostage”, in images released by Iranian media.
The city of Isfahan is the third largest in Iran, with a population of around two million.
It is a tourist magnet due to its heritage sites, including a historic bridge across the Zayandeh Rood River, which has been dry since 2000 except for brief periods.
Drought is considered one of the causes, but farmers also blame the diversion of river water by the authorities to the neighboring province of Yazd.
The Iranian government has promised to come to the aid of farmers and resolve the crisis.
“I have ordered the ministers of energy and agriculture to take immediate action to address the problem,” Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, said on television.
Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian apologized to farmers for not being able to provide water for their crops.
“We hope to fill these gaps in the coming months,” he said.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had already met with representatives from the Isfahan, Yazd and Semnan provinces on November 11 and promised to solve the water problems.
Iran, largely arid, has been suffering from chronic dry spells for years.
In July, deadly protests broke out in the southwestern Khuzestan province after drought caused widespread water shortages.
Iran is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world.
Water levels in the country’s lakes and reservoirs have been cut in half since last year due to the severe drought affecting the country and the region as a whole, according to a report by Iran’s space agency in October.
(AFP)
