25 Citizens Arrested During Water Crisis Protests in Hamadan
Hrana News Agency – The governor of Hamadan announced the arrest of a total of 25 citizens protesting the water crisis during three protest gatherings held in the city.
According to Hrana News Agency, citing Entekhab, the governor of Hamadan announced the arrest of 25 citizens protesting the water crisis in Hamadan.
Mohammadali Mohammadi labeled the arrested citizens as “adversaries” and the three protest gatherings as “illegal,” claiming: “In this regard, 25 people were arrested, of which 20 were not residents of Hamadan province and by being present in Hamadan intended to create fear and spread discontent among the people.”
Recently, residents of Hamadan protested the problem of drinking water supply in the province by holding gatherings and chanting protest slogans, demanding attention to the existing water crisis.
Earlier, in response to this issue, the governor of Hamadan stated that the project related to the water transfer line to Hamadan has made only 40 percent progress over the past 17 years, claiming: “Within one or two weeks from now, water transfer to Hamadan will be completed,” something that has not yet materialized.
Also, in recent days, social researcher Abbas Abdi stated regarding the current water crisis in Hamadan: “If someone spoke about the critical state of Hamadan’s water reserves, or if any media outlet prepared a report in this regard, they would be accused of scaremongering.”
Furthermore, on the third day of Shahrivar this year, Akbar Kavoosi Omid, head of the budget commission of Hamadan City Council, apologized to the people of the city for “mismanagement” and said that problems had been “warned” earlier in Farvardin month, but “necessary warnings were not given to the people and the current power outage schedule is not being properly implemented either.”
In this regard, the Bar Association of Hamadan province, by writing a letter to the prosecutor of the province, warned about the high level of arsenic in the water of Talavbar Dam, which is expected to be exploited in the near future to supply water resources to Hamadan and compensate for existing water shortages, and demanded investigation into this matter. Hrana, by publishing a report, while referring to the mentioned subject, provided details of the existing water crisis in the city and the difficulties suffered by its residents in this regard.
It must be noted that a female citizen during a protest gathering on the evening of Wednesday, the 2nd of Shahrivar, on Boali Street in Hamadan, was beaten by police officers; a video in this regard was published by media outlets, which resulted in negative reactions from many social media users.
Water supply crises in the country, in the shadow of poor water resource management and minimal rainfall, have previously caused multiple problems for citizens, especially those living in cities with limited water resources or hot regions; in many cases, citizens’ protests against this mismanagement have been answered by arresting protesters and beating them and committing violent acts against them.
Source: Hrana
