Farmers in Isfahan Protest Again Over Water Issues

Reports circulating on social media indicate that protesting farmers in Isfahan gathered in a central area of the city near the Khaju Bridge. These reports also suggest that security forces attempted to disperse the protesters. Isfahan has been the scene of renewed protests by farmers from eastern Isfahan regarding water issues and the lack of water rights since a few weeks before 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 (2018). The protesting farmers chanted: 'Back to the enemy, facing the homeland.' These protests began in mid-Esfand of the previous year, when a significant number of farmers from the Varzaneh area in eastern Isfahan marched on Thursday, Esfand 17, demanding their water rights and chanting slogans against Hassan Rouhani. In recent weeks, local officials and government representatives have repeatedly promised to address the water rights and compensation for 'non-cultivated crops' and resolve other issues faced by Isfahan's farmers, but the protests have continued. In the latest protest by farmers from eastern Isfahan, which took place on Saturday, Farvardin 18, near Khaju Bridge, a central point in Isfahan and adjacent to the local television office, the protesting farmers again chanted slogans like 'The water of Zayandeh Rud is our legitimate right' and 'The cry of this farmer is the cry of Zayandeh Rud.' Videos and images from this protest show a large number of Isfahan's farmers present on the northern side of Khaju Bridge, but at the same time, some of these images depict a significant presence of security forces in the area and their attempts to disperse the protesters. Meanwhile, the local site 'Isfahan Shargh,' which has published reports on the protests in Isfahan in recent weeks, reported that a meeting was held on Saturday with the presence of farmer representatives and Isfahan representatives in the parliament. Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the governor of Isfahan, referring to what he called 'necessary resolutions to improve the situation of farmers,' stated that 'there is no reason for the gathering.' The governor of Isfahan described the poor rainfall situation last year as 'very concerning' and attributed the problem of drinking water supply to illegal withdrawals. He added that in a meeting with the ministers of the interior and energy, as well as the governors of Isfahan and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, the issue of 'upstream illegal withdrawals' was discussed, and it was decided to seriously address illegal withdrawals with decisions approved in the 'Water Scarcity Adaptation Working Group.' The protests by Isfahan's farmers against the transfer of Zayandeh Rud water to Yazd have also been ongoing in recent years, including an incident in 1391 (2012) when a group of farmers from eastern Isfahan broke water transfer pipes, leading to clashes with security forces and injuries among them. Last November, they also stationed their tractors at the entrance of Isfahan city as a sign of protest. Reports indicate that with the drying up of Zayandeh Rud, the largest river in central Iran, and the transfer of its water to the desert in Yazd and Qom to revive water-intensive industries, earning a living through agriculture in these lands is no longer possible as it once was. Furthermore, the agricultural lands in eastern Isfahan, where wheat, barley, and alfalfa were predominantly cultivated, now not only have no crops to harvest but have also become sources of dust storms. Officials from the Farmers' House in Isfahan have announced that the living conditions of nearly one million farmers residing in this province, most of whom live in eastern areas, have faced a crisis in recent years due to the lack of water. 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.