Widespread Protest by Farmers in Isfahan Over Water Issues

Reports and images shared on social media indicate that hundreds of farmers from Isfahan gathered and marched in the city on Monday, April 8. This protest was primarily against the non-payment of water rights and the problems arising from water shortages for agriculture. Based on videos shared by social media users, family members of some farmers also participated in this gathering and march. The protesters chanted slogans such as: 'Today is a day of mourning, today is a day of mourning, the farmer's life is in the air today' and 'Dear fellow citizen, support us.' According to reports, the protest began at Khorasgan Square and the protesters then proceeded to march. Meanwhile, videos show a significant presence of riot police surrounding the farmers. Isfahan has been the scene of renewed protests by farmers from eastern Isfahan regarding water issues and the non-receipt of water rights for several weeks prior to the new year. The peak of these protests was a symbolic act by farmers turning their backs to the Friday prayer leader in the last Friday prayer of the year 1396. The protesting farmers chanted: 'Back to the enemy, facing the homeland.' Previously, on Saturday, April 6, protesting farmers from Isfahan, along with some family members, gathered at a main point in the city near Khaju Bridge; this gathering reportedly led to clashes with law enforcement. However, officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not commented on this matter so far. In recent weeks, local officials and government authorities have repeatedly promised to pay water rights and compensation for 'non-cultivated products' and to resolve other issues faced by Isfahan farmers, but the protests have continued. These protests have persisted despite Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, stating on March 18 that the issue of water scarcity in Isfahan was discussed in a meeting of the heads of the three branches of government, urging protesting farmers not to allow opportunists to position themselves among them and distort their rights. In recent years, Isfahan farmers have protested against the transfer of water from the Zayandeh Rud River to Yazd, and in 2012, a group of them broke water transfer pipes, leading to clashes with law enforcement and injuries among them. Last November, farmers also parked their tractors at the entrance of Isfahan city as a sign of protest. Reports indicate that with the drying up of the Zayandeh Rud, the largest river in central Iran, and its water being diverted to the desert in Yazd and Qom to revive water-intensive industries, earning a living through agriculture in these areas is no longer feasible as it once was. In this context, Mahmoud Hosseini, the governor of Isfahan from 2002 to 2005, stated on February 24 regarding the unemployment of farmers in eastern Isfahan: 'In eastern Isfahan, which has a population of 300,000, over 50,000 farmers have become unemployed due to the water scarcity of the Zayandeh Rud, and those who have not become unemployed have seen their incomes decrease.' Furthermore, agricultural lands in eastern Isfahan, where the predominant crops are wheat, barley, and alfalfa, currently not only have no products to harvest but have also become sources of dust storms. Meanwhile, the return of farmers' checks by banks, the issuance of arrest warrants for some of them, and ultimately leaving their homes are among the problems faced by these individuals.