Protest Gathering of Farmers in East and West Isfahan: We Demand Our Water Rights

Reports from Isfahan indicate that the protest gathering of Isfahani farmers demanding their "legal water rights" continues on Saturday, March 15. According to the Telegram channel "Civil Protest Market," which has shared several videos, farmers have participated in this gathering with their tractors. The report also indicates that farmers from both the eastern and western regions of Isfahan are participating in this gathering. Based on this report, "some water has been allocated for autumn cultivation, and farmers have planted part of their lands, but now officials say there is no water, and the lack of water endangers agricultural products and the efforts of farmers, jeopardizing their only meager source of income." Simultaneously with the continuation of this protest and the silence of government media on the matter, it has been reported that Abbas Ali-Abadi, the Minister of Energy, will meet with the protesting farmers on Saturday. Farmers in Isfahan province have repeatedly protested in recent years over issues related to securing their water rights from the Zayandeh Rud River for autumn cultivation and the permanent revival and flow of this river. These protests have, in some cases, faced repression from government forces. Meanwhile, Hamidreza Khorshidi, the director of the Isfahan Meteorological Organization, announced on Wednesday, March 13, that "studies indicate that the climate of Isfahan province is moving towards severe droughts with long periods." According to Mehr News Agency, he pointed out that periodic studies have shown that over the past 50 years, annual rainfall has decreased by one millimeter, and temperatures have increased by four-tenths of a degree, adding that each degree increase in temperature adds between 6 to 7 percent to the evaporation capacity of water resources and dams. This official also stated that statistical comparisons of Isfahan province over the past decade until the end of this month indicate that 99 percent of the area of Isfahan province is experiencing drought with moderate to very severe intensity. He announced that this year, 51 percent, equivalent to half of the province's area, is experiencing severe drought, and 8 percent is facing very severe drought, while 30 percent of Isfahan province is experiencing moderate drought, and 0.2 percent of the province's area is in a wet condition. These statements from this official come at a time when the result of the Islamic Republic's mismanagement in the water sector has become one of the challenges for the people of Iran, to the extent that the Zayandeh Rud, which is over 400 kilometers long, has turned into a river with periodic flow due to excessive withdrawals, water transfers to other basins, population density, and to some extent, a relative decrease in rainfall, with a significant portion of it drying up in the summer. Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the former Minister of Energy of the Islamic Republic, claimed on August 29, 2022, that "one of our most important programs is its revival; certainly, the revival of the Zayandeh Rud is possible. We reject all these claims that it is not possible, and revival is such that it ensures a reliable and sustainable water supply and releases at least some water in different seasons and months." Meanwhile, the Shargh newspaper reported on its website on Friday, March 15, that "the Zayandeh Rud is no longer just an environmental issue; it has now turned into a full-blown social and livelihood crisis. This river, which was once the lifeblood of Isfahan, has now dried up to the point where even drinking water supply is approaching a critical point." Shargh pointed out the promises of "water transfer," "consumption management," "inter-provincial cooperation," and "implementation of the Supreme Water Council's resolutions" made by energy ministers since 2005 to solve the Zayandeh Rud crisis, stating that all of them went to this city with similar promises that were not fulfilled. The newspaper mentioned that the reasons none of these promises have been realized include "lack of enforcement guarantees" and "temporary policies, not sustainable solutions like releasing water from dams." At the same time, the Zayandeh Rud basin is not the only region in Iran facing a water crisis. Reports from government media indicate similar problems, including in Khuzestan province.