The 2021 Iranian water protests were a series of protests by Iranians against water shortages in Khuzestan province during the summer. Protests broke out on 15 July 2021 [1] due to the ongoing water crisis in Iran but spread across the country to other provinces and cities where people organised rallies in solidarity with Khuzestan, including Tehran, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Bushehr, Lorestan, Kurdistan, East Azerbaijan, North Khorasan and Alborz.[2][3][4][5] Protests were soon dubbed 'The Uprising of the Thirsty" and turned violent as police forces attempted to suppress them due to demands for the end of the current regime.[6][1] Casualties were recorded both amongst police forces and civilian demonstrators.[7] Protests in Khuzestan lasted for around 10 days and were predominantly urban. The last large-scale demonstration in solidarity with Khuzestan took place on 31 July in Tehran.[8] The violent nature of the protests received a lot media-attention and various government officials made statements promising extended and specific support to the region. This included releasing more water from Karkheh Dam in northern Khuzestan and sending emergency water tanks to most affected regions.[9]
The water crisis has worsened across Iran over the past decade due to over-pumping of groundwater resources, environmental damage, climate change and government policy regarding water management, dam building and river diversion.[10][11]Kaveh Madani, former deputy head of the Iranian Environment Department, states that "the problem is rooted in decades of bad management, poor environmental governance and lack of foresight, and not getting prepared for a situation like this."[12]
Previously characterised by fertile wetlands the landscape was ideal for agricultural production Khuzestan became also a top producer of other agricultural products such as wheat, sugar cane and corn.[13] However most of the province's contribution to Iranian GDP comes from oil as it is Iran's most oil-rich province.[14] Changing water infrastructure most heavily impacts residents and the subsistence of small-scale famers, livestock farming and fishing industries as oil-industry and large scale agricultural producers' access to water for irrigation is prioritised.[11]
The surge in dam-building has been linked to the water scarcity in the region, as well as electricity cuts.[13] For example, the drying out of Hour-al-Azim Lagoon which is part of the Hawizeh Marshes, has been linked to construction of dams on the Karkheh, Marun, and Zohra rivers.[11][15] The diversion of the Karun river in upstream Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province as part of the 2016 Behesht Abad tunnel project, which aims is to divert water to more arid Kerman, Yazd and Isfahan provinces, has also had a significant impact on reducing availability of water.[16] At least 700 villages in Khuzestan have to be supplied drinking water through government water tanks due to the lack of clean drinking water.[4] From an environmental perspective, flash floods in upstream Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province and lowering of precipitation levels have also contributed to increased water scarcity.[17]
The summer 2021 protests belong to a wider series of protests that have taken place in the past 2 decades in the face of changing water policy and growing water scarcity. For example, in 2013 protestors formed human chains in protest against the Behesht Abad tunnel project, the longest counting around 10,000 people.[18] Located on the border to Iraq, Khuzestan is furthermore viewed as a strategically important area for the government to maintain control over its minority population as it is home to Arab minority ethnicities, as well as Bakhtiari and Lurs tribes. Previous protests in 2018 were larger in scale as various locations in the country were faced with water shortages. In comparison, the 2021 series of protests were about water shortages concentrated in Khuzestan and demonstrations that took place outside of Khuzestan expressed solidarity with those in Khuzestan.[13]
Timeline
15–18 July
Protests first broke out on 15 July across Khuzestan in Susangerd, Hamidiyeh, Ahvaz, Shadegan, Abadan, Iran, and Bandar-e Mahshahr.[19] A member of parliament stated that over 700 villages in Khuzestan had been without water.[15] Further to this, water shortages led to widespread power blackouts which were also being protested in these demonstrations.[20]
Live gunfire was used to disperse crowds of people in Shadegan though the IRNA claimed that the man was accidentally shot by a bullet fired into the air. Videos circulating on social media also showed people setting fire to tires and blocking roads in the first days of protests [21] Heavy police presence was reported at protests in Hamidiyeh, where people joined rallies and chanted "I Am Thirsty!".
On 16 July, street protests continued where demonstrators marched on the streets of Ahvaz, Mahshar, and Bushehr (not in Khuzestan - check Bushehr had protests erupt this early) and Bostan. According to media sources, one person was killed during protests by gunfire.[22]
On 17 July videos circulated online from citizens, journalists, and media sources present at demonstrations and rallies in Kut-e Abdollah, Karkheh and Shush where regime forces opening fire on protesters, reportedly killing three people. Gunshots could be heard in other cities as tens of thousands of protesters marched and set vehicles on fire whilst chanting anti-government slogans such as "Death to Khameini".[23]
On July 18, a policeman was shot dead by protestors.[24]
20–21 July
From 20 July protests spread to other provinces in Iran where groups organised rallies in solidarity with Khuzestan. Alongside cities in Khuzestan like Ahvaz, Ramhormoz, and Shadegan, protests took place outside of Khuzestan in Esfahan, Tehran, and Bushehr. Thousands gathered outside governor's offices in those areas and clapped and danced. There were children among them.
By the 21st of July, clashes with police forces escalated further. One protester was killed during a clash in Ahvaz and rallies in Esfahan, Yazdanshahr and Susangerd became increasingly violent. Demonstrators in Masjed Soleyman chanted, "Police, support us," a reference to local concerns about security forces cracking down harshly on earlier rallies.
Pro-shah and anti-regime slogans such as "Reza Shah bless his soul" were chanted as thousands continued to protest in Mahshahr, Susangerd, Izeh, Shush and Bandar Abbas on 22 July, with gunshots becoming apparent. A viral video was posted with a woman asking a police officer why they are shooting at the demonstrators.[25] Another fatality was reported as a man was shot, taken to hospital but was confirmed to be dead. Internet services have also been reported to have been disrupted in the region, as Tehran’s residents protested in support of Khuzestan. A group of women chanted slogans on the Tehran Metro.[2] Fires were lit as seven protesters were confirmed dead.[26]
23–31 July
In Ahvaz, protesters blocked a roadside and a highway to protest water scarcity. Flames rose in Susangerd and Lorestan during protests.[27]
On 24 July, significant protests took place in the northwest city of Tabriz, in East Aberzaijan province, in solidarity with the protests in Khuzestan.[28] Demonstrators chanted "Death to the Dictator" in solidarity with protestors in Khuzestan. Meanwhile, in Ahvaz, Shadegan and Mahshahr, more major protests occurred, as well as protests in Lorestan and Aligudarz. Police opened fire on demonstrators in Shadegan and Mahshahr whilst a funeral of a protester was held in Izeh. Further anti-government protests broke out in neighbouring Zanjan to protest the use of force against water protesters in Ahvaz and Aligudarz.[29]
Protests also took place in Tehran.[32] Elsewhere, in Karaj, people also joined protests and employees of the Khomeini Hospital in Karaj marched on the streets to demand their unpaid wages and in objection to their economic woes. Protests continued in Izeh.
Government Response
Whilst protestors blame government water management policies the majority of official government responses to the growing water crisis in Khuzestan maintain that water shortages and subsequent power blackouts are due to environmental factors rather than mismanagement of resources. After protests erupted president Hassan Rouhani made a statement asking protestors to use other channels for protest. New-elect president Ebrahim Raisi stated that he would employ a special minister in cabinet to help Khuzestan with its water issues once he begins his term in August 2021.[9]
Besides clashes between security forces and civilian protestors, internet services in Khuzestan province were slowed down.[9] Over the past years, Iranian authorities have often restricted access to internet during protests in order to inhibit the sharing of information and images from protests. Sepehri Far, from Human Rights Watch, stated that “Instead of repressing the protests, the Iranian authorities should acknowledge the severity of the water crisis and commit to addressing it urgently at the national level”.[7]
Arrests and Deaths
At the end of the protests HRANA confirmed that 361 individuals had been detained as a result of protests.[6]
Names of confirmed civilian casualties by different human rights bodies that verified videos and reports are:[33][34][35][36][37]
Mostafa Naeemavi (Asakereh), from Shadegan,
Qasem (Naseri) Khediri, from Kut Abdollah, injured and died in hospital
Meysam Echresh, from Kureh (Taleghani town), was injured and died in hospital
July 2021: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet condemned violent crack-downs on protestors and asked Iran to focus on treating water shortages rather than suppressing the protests. Saeed Khatibzadeh responded to the comment and stated that though events in Khuzestan had taken an unfortunate turn her comments were based on false information.[38]
July 2021: Human Rights Watch published a report condemning the use of bullets and excessive violence by Iranian government forces during the protests, as well as internet censorship. It further emphasised the role that the Iranian governments should play in supporting its populations right to water.[7]
August 2021: Amnesty International similarly reported on incidents of reported police brutality used to oppress the protesters.[33]
Khuzestan province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers an area of 63,238 square kilometres (24,416 sq mi). Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's Region 4.
Andimeshk is a city in the Central District of Andimeshk County, Khuzestan province, Iran, and serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is about 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of Shush, on the main road and the rail line between Tehran and Ahvaz.
Izeh is a city in the Central District of Izeh County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
The Karun is the Iranian river with the highest water flow, and the country's only navigable river. It is 950 km (590 mi) long. The Karun rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari district in the Zagros Range, receiving many tributaries, such as the Dez and the Kuhrang. It passes through the capital of the Khuzestan Province of Iran, the city of Ahvaz, before emptying to its mouth into Arvand Rud.
Susangerd, also known as al-Khafājiyah, Dasht-e Āzādegān or Dasht-i-Mishān, is a city in the Central District of Dasht-e Azadegan County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The vast majority of its inhabitants are Khuzestani Arab people. Susangerd is considered among the famous cities of Iran due to the Iran-Iraq war and the city's liberation from the siege of Iraqi forces.
Bostan is a city in, and the capital of, Bostan District of Dasht-e Azadegan County, Khuzestan province, Iran. It is approximately 10 miles from the Iran-Iraq border. It is mainly known for its battles during the Iran–Iraq War, the Operation Tariq al-Qods.
2005 Ahvaz unrest or 15 April Ahvaz Protests were violent riots, initiated by Iranian Arabs in the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan. The unrest erupted on 15 April 2005, and lasted for 4 days. Initially, the Iranian Interior Ministry stated that only one person had been killed, however an official at a hospital in Ahvaz said that there were between 15 and 20 mortal casualties. Government officials blamed the unrest on Britain, whose troops based just across the border in southern Iraq. Following the unrest, several bombings were carried out in Ahvaz, killing 28 people. In 2006, Iran executed five Arab separatists, convicted of carrying out the bombings in 2005.
The 1979 Khuzestan uprising was one of the nationwide uprisings in Iran, which erupted in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. The unrest was fed by Arab demands for autonomy. The uprising was effectively quelled by Iranian security forces, resulting in more than a hundred people on both sides killed.
The 2011 Khuzestan protests, known among protesters as the Ahvaz Day of Rage, relates to violent protests, which erupted on 15 April 2011 in Khuzestan Province, to mark an anniversary of the 2005 Ahvaz unrest, and as a response to the regional Arab Spring. The protests lasted for 4 days and resulted in 12 to 15 protesters killed and many wounded and arrested. 1 security officer was killed as well, and another wounded. Crackdown on Arab political opposition in the area continued since with arrests and executions.
Buzi Rural District is in the Central District of Shadegan County, Khuzestan province, Iran. Its capital is the village of Buzi-ye Bala.
Hoseyni Rural District is in the Central District of Shadegan County, Khuzestan province, Iran. Its capital is the village of Ghoreybeh.
Jaffal Rural District is in the Central District of Shadegan County, Khuzestan province, Iran. Its capital is the village of Jaffal.
The 2018 Iranian water protests were a series of protests in Iran involving demands for improvements in the provision of freshwater. The protests erupted after a period of severe drought in the country. Participants accused the Iranian authorities of water mismanagement, worsening the impact of the drought. The protests coincided with a series of larger protests and civil unrest in Iran.
The 2018–2019 Iranian general strikesand protests were a series of strikes and protests that took place across Iran from early 2018 until mid-2019 against the country's economic situation, as well as the Iranian government, as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement.
The 2018–19 Hazfi Cup was the 32nd season of the Iranian football knockout competition.
The 2019–2020 Iranian protests, sometimes known as Bloody November or Bloody Aban, were a series of nationwide civil protests in Iran that took place in 2019 and 2020. Initially caused by a 50–200% increase in fuel prices, they occurred as part of the wider Iranian Democracy Movement, leading to calls for the overthrow of the government in Iran and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The protests commenced as peaceful gatherings on the evening of 15 November but spread to 21 cities within hours, as videos of the protest circulated online, eventually becoming the most violent and severe anti-government unrest since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
The 2018 protests in Iran is mass protests and a popular uprising conspiring of peaceful demonstrations calling for better economic justice in June 2018 in Iran, the biggest wave of anti-government demonstrations since the 2017-2018 Iranian protests.
The 2021-2022 Iranian protests erupted on 15 July 2021 to protest the water shortages and crisis, but were quickly met with police violence and brutality. "Bloody Aban", November 2021 saw further protests due to water shortages but various other protests and strikes also took place due to the worsening economic situation.
In May 2022, ongoing protests in Iran escalated into nationwide civil unrest as a result of government price hikes on staple foods including bread and pasta. The protests were part of a countrywide wave of protests beginning in July 2021. Protests were initially concentrated in the water-stricken province of Khuzestan, but rapidly spread nationwide. Authorities responded by declaring riot control action and blocking internet access.
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