Protest Gathering Against 'Water Shortage' in Borazjan, Bushehr Province

A large number of citizens in Borazjan, Bushehr Province, gathered on Saturday, July 6, in protest against 'water scarcity' and 'disorder in distribution' in the region, chanting slogans against the official authorities of the province. This gathering followed recent street protests in Khorramshahr and Abadan against water salinity and outages. Following the protests in these two cities, ten people were arrested, and 25 others were identified on charges such as 'inciting public disorder and exploiting public demands.' The local website 'Fekr-e-Shahr' reported that 'several days of water shortage' on Saturday night, July 6, brought 'thousands' of Borazjan residents to the streets. The protest lasted about four hours, with 'several thousand people from Borazjan... gathering in a square to protest... the incompetence and inefficiency of the officials. They chanted and demanded water.' 'Fekr-e-Shahr' reported a heavy police presence in the gathering, noting that some local officials, including the Friday prayer leader of Borazjan and representatives from the governor's office, also attended the protest but faced public backlash and were forced to leave. According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, the deputy governor of Dashtestan attempted to explain the actions taken to resolve the water issue to the protesters, but they chanted slogans that prevented him from speaking. Based on videos shared on social media, protesters shouted: 'If the governor doesn't come - there will be chaos tonight,' 'If one thief is reduced - our problem will be solved,' and 'Our enemy is right here; they always say it's America.' Following the water shortage in Bushehr province and Borazjan, a delegation from the Ministry of Energy and the Iranian Water and Wastewater Company was dispatched to Bushehr province to investigate the issue. Last Friday, Hassan Maslih, the Friday prayer leader of Borazjan, stated in his sermon that 'the water problem for the people of Dashtestan must be resolved by any means necessary.' The water for Dashtestan County is supplied from the Boshikan treatment plant in Fars province, which has seen a significant reduction in water transfer due to prolonged drought. Mohammad Baqer Saadat, the representative of Dashtestan in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, accused local officials of 'negligence' regarding the water supply issues and stated, 'People have the right to be angry and even curse.' He noted that the main issue of water scarcity in Dashtestan is the presence of over '30 powerful water pumps' along the river from Kazeroon to Borazjan, installed by some 'gardeners' using the cover of night for 'illegal' water use. Mr. Saadat accused the Kazeroon governor of not getting involved despite the order to remove these pumps because he is 'local to the Kazeroon area.' According to the Fekr-e-Shahr website, some neighborhoods in Borazjan have not seen 'a drop of water in their pipes for over ten days... they haven't bathed for days, haven't washed dishes, and aren't cooking food... the main trouble is for those with small children and... the heat and power outages are overwhelming.' In June of this year, water outages at temperatures above 50 degrees in Borazjan led some citizens to gather in front of the city's water office, resulting in a 'verbal altercation' with the head of the local water and wastewater department. The water crisis in Iran, exacerbated by rising summer temperatures, has seriously affected many regions of the country, leading to power outages and water distribution by tanker in some areas. According to Isa Kalantari, head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization, currently over 70% of the country's population is facing 'water scarcity,' and per capita water availability this solar year has surpassed critical conditions. Previously, Reza Ardakanian, Iran's Minister of Energy, had stated that the year 1397 (2018) was the hardest year in terms of water supply in the country in the last fifty years and warned that 334 cities with a population of 35 million are currently in a state of water stress.