Khuzestan Residents Protest Water Transfer to Iraq
People in Khuzestan are suffering from lack of access to fresh water in 50-degree heat. Videos circulated on social media networks show that the problem is not a water shortage, but rather the transfer of fresh water to Iraq by the Islamic Republic authorities.
A group of Khorramshahr citizens gathered on Friday, June 29 in front of the city’s Grand Mosque to protest the water salinity crisis in the city and the officials’ indifference.
Participants in this gathering told Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, that the quality of drinking water in the city has become much saltier compared to previous days and there is a very bad odor in many areas.
Ahvaz Friday Prayer Leader and Drinking Water Transfer to Iraq
The drinking water situation in Ahvaz and Abadan is no different. To the extent that the Ahvaz Friday prayer sermon leader said that “the people of Khorramshahr and Abadan are going through very difficult days and the unfortunate and disturbing scenes of drinking water queues are not befitting of them.”.
Aboulhassan Hasanzadeh advised people during his Friday sermon in Ahvaz to be economical in their water consumption. In his remarks, he referred to many events over the 40 years of the Islamic Republic and blamed the West and America for the Islamic Republic’s misfortunes, but remained silent about the protesters’ criticism regarding “the transfer of Khuzestan people’s drinking water through pipelines to Iraq.”
People in Khuzestan have released videos on social media networks showing the transfer of fresh water from southern Iraq and the Basra regions, while salty and contaminated water flows through household pipes.
Khorramshahr and Abadan are adjacent to Basra, a city where the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have significant influence.
Other videos released by social media users regarding Iraqi television reports show Basra citizens thanking the Islamic Republic leader for transferring drinking water from Khorramshahr to Iraq.
آب شیرین #خرمشهر به عراق داده می شود بعد #اهواز #خرمشهر
اهالی روستای منیخ خرمشهر لوله آب شیرین که به عراق دادە میشود را پیدا کردەاند. مشکل خودشان را دارند حل می کنند
۲تیرماه ۹۷
اهلا وسهلا مرحبا -درود برشما با این اقدام انقلابی #خوزستان #ایران_آزاد۹۷
#قیام pic.twitter.com/oQfNu3wHdB— farshad bozorg (@FarshadBozorg) June 24, 2018
Another example of these videos shows fresh water from Khuzestan flowing through a pipeline from Manbakh village in Khorramshahr city toward Basra province.
#خرمشهر
لولهای که آب شیرین خوزستان را به عراق میبرد،
بدست شهروندان ایرانی محروم از آب،
سوراخ شده است و از آن آب میبرند.تمام ثروت مردم #ایران خرج عراق و سوریه و لبنان و… میشه
اما مردم ایران با فروختن کلیه و قرنیهی چشم و حتی تنفروشی باید گذران زندگی کنن#IranRegimeChange pic.twitter.com/KRUfAWfbeB— بهروز (@SabaAram1384) June 29, 2018
Slogans of protesters against the inaction of the Khorramshahr governor on Friday, June 29
?فوری ?#خرمشهر_آب_ندارد
داد وفغان مردم خرمشهر به عرش اسمان رسید
مردم تشنه هستند بحران بی آبی و شوری آب شرب در حضور فرماندار شهر با شعار:
– حیاتی حیا کن خرمشهر رو رها کن#IranRegimeChange#تظاهرات_سراسرىpic.twitter.com/da5rcX0urw— دایان یلمه -ترکمن (@dayan_turkmen) June 29, 2018
Source: DW
