Thousands Protest in Khuzestan Cities in Support of Khormshahr Residents

Thousands of people in cities near Khormshahr in Khuzestan Province, including Ahvaz, the provincial capital, Bandar Mahshahr and Sarbander, gathered in support of Khormshahr residents’ demonstrations over poor drinking water conditions.

Footage sent to Voice of America shows hundreds of people on Naderi Street in Ahvaz from Sunday night until dawn Monday, July 1st, expressing their solidarity with Khormshahr residents through slogans and Arabic chants.

Similar footage has been released from other cities in Khuzestan Province.

In Bandar Mahshahr, hundreds of people remained in the streets from Sunday night until dawn Monday, July 1st, and declared their support for Khormshahr residents.

Similar gatherings were also held in other areas, including “Sarbander,” the residential non-port section of Imam Khomeini Port (Shahpur Port).

These cities’ residents are protesting the Iranian government’s handling of demonstrators protesting the water crisis in Khormshahr.

For the past three days, poor drinking water conditions have triggered peaceful protests and gatherings in Khormshahr, but Saturday night, military and security forces opened fire on the people.

Local officials announced on Sunday, June 30th that no one was killed in the clashes and promised the water problem in Khormshahr would be resolved soon.

Khormshahr is an important Iranian city that was occupied by Saddam for a period during the Iran-Iraq War and became known as the “Bloody City.” The authorities’ neglect of this city’s residents has also sparked public protest on social media.

Water Crisis in Various Regions of Iran

One day after the protests over water problems in Khormshahr, reports indicate that various regions of Iran are facing water cuts or poor quality water distribution.

The IRNA news agency reported that the CEO of Yazd’s water and wastewater company stated that water salinity in the city has increased two to three times in recent days.

The quality control manager of Yazd’s water and wastewater company also said that drinking water has become severely saline in some areas of Yazd.

Ali Sari, a member of Khuzestan Province’s parliament, also said that while Abadan and Khormshahr have the most severe water situation, the cities of Ahvaz, Karun, Bavieh, Hamidieh and Susangerd are also facing water problems.

He said: “There are public gatherings in Ahvaz regarding drinking water shortage, but these gatherings are not on the scale of Khormshahr, Abadan and Shadegan.”

In another report, the prosecutor of Ramhormoz city announced that 230 people in three villages of the city have been poisoned from drinking contaminated water. He said a file has been opened in this regard.

Previously, various reports had been released about drinking water distribution by tankers in different areas of Sistan and Baluchestan and Hormozgan.

The water crisis in Iran has intensified following severe droughts in recent years, reckless use of groundwater resources, and poor management of water resources.

This crisis is intensifying even as some experts believe Iran’s water shortage has solutions and action should be taken as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, amid environmental challenges and the water shortage crisis, Kaveh Madani, a water resources expert and professor at Imperial College London who returned to Iran at the government’s invitation and was appointed deputy research director of the Environmental Protection Organization, was forced to leave the country last March due to pressure from security agencies.

Source: Voice of America