Iran: Angry Khuzestan residents rise against decades of neglect
Water crisis that has been intensifying for years has affected all aspects of life for Iranians in the southwestern province
Iranians in northwestern Tabriz hold a rally in solidarity with Khuzestan, far to the south (Twitter)
By MEE correspondent in Khuzestan, Iran
Published date: 25 July 2021
Ali*, a 21-year-old unemployed man, can no longer find work in his province, Khuzestan, even as a farmworker. He says the water shortages have destroyed the agriculture sector in Iran's oil-rich southwestern province.
'Why do we have to face water shortages in the province where the Karun River is full of water?'
- Ali, unemployed in Khuzestan
"We are sick and tired of this situation. Why do we have to face water shortages in the province where the Karun River is full of water?” Ali told Middle East Eye as he contemplated a bleak future in a province where residents have long complained of marginalisation.
"What should I do as a young person? Where can I get a job? How do I make a living? We are stifled by so many problems. Why doesn't anyone pay attention to us?"
Ali, who lives in a village in Ahvaz County, is one of too many people suffering as a result of the water crisis in Khuzestan.
For a week now, the province has been in the spotlight in Iran. On the evening of 15 July, people took to the streets in a number of cities in the province, including Ahvaz, Abadan, Hamidiyeh and Shadegan, Khorramshahr and Mahshahr, to protest against the lack of water and frequent power outages.
The protesters chanted slogans such as "The river is thirsty," "I am thirsty," and "We give our lives and blood to the Karun," while some burned trash cans and tyres in a sign of growing anger over years of neglect despite repeated warnings that the province has been at risk of water shortages.
Iran: Protests over water shortages grow in Khuzestan region amid rising violence
Water mismanagement
"People in Tehran would not be able to withstand life in Khuzestan for even a week. The temperature is 50 degrees Celsius, coupled with high humidity, and we have no water," Ahmad*, a 19-year-old who lives in Mahshahr city, told MEE.
"Ever since we could remember, we have never had drinking water, and we have always had to buy water bottles. The people in cities are better off. Water is delivered in tankers to people in villages."
Qassem Soleimani Dashtaki, the provincial governor, confirmed after the protests escalated on 21 July that water has been delivered to 702 villages in Khuzestan in tankers.
However, the move is far from resolving the deeply rooted problem facing the population in the province. Excessive use of groundwater resources, pollution from oil production, water transfers from the Karun and other rivers in Khuzestan to other provinces, and development projects have caused environmental damage and widespread water shortages.
In an interview on 19 July, Hadi Savari, a former member of the Ahwaz City Council, blamed improper dam construction in the province as the main reason for the water crisis.
"Khuzestan has four important rivers, Karun, Dez, Jarahi and Zohreh, and two large wetlands, Shadegan and Hur al-Azim, which have always been full of water throughout history," Savari said.
Iranian press review: Former presidents condemn crackdown on protests
Protests spillover
The speed of the protests' spillover to other provinces is unprecedented. The demonstrations, which quickly spread to almost all cities of Khuzestan, were taken up in cities further afield, such Kermanshah, Isfahan, and in parts of Lorestan province and Tehran. In response, security forces stepped in to confront and end the unrest.
Photos posted on social media showed the deployment to Khuzestan of police forces from Tehran. Social media activists also posted images of armoured and riot vehicles being unloaded off a plane at Ahwaz Airport in Khuzestan. Several pictures circulating on Twitter show tanks, armoured water cannon trucks and other anti-riot equipment vehicles on the roads in the province.
Meanwhile, authorities have shut down the internet in most parts of Khuzestan in a bid to curb the protests. NetBlocks Internet Observatory reported on 22 July that data confirmed serious disruption to cellular networks in the province beginning on Thursday 15 July.
The strength of the crackdown on protests was quickly condemned.
"They have really no shame," said Naeem*, a 20-year-old from Izeh who had witnessed the mobilisation of anti-riot forces. "They shot at people indiscriminately, while our demonstration was completely peaceful. We were unarmed. We did not have guns.
"Why are they shooting at us? We were not even carrying rocks and sticks. We just chanted that we wanted water."
'Why are they shooting at us? We were not even carrying rocks and sticks. We just chanted that we wanted water'
- Naeem, after protests in Izeh
Izeh, a city of 200,000 people, joined the protest movement after demonstrations spread to small towns. The slogans chanted in the city have been more radical than in other areas in the province, which might explain why the crackdown in Izeh was harsher than in other cities.
Protesters spoke out against the Iranian establishment, with chants that included "Death to the Islamic Republic" and "Death to Khamenei," Iran's supreme leader.
There are different figures available on the number of people killed in the protests so far. The governor of Khuzestan claimed in a press conference on 20 July that only one person, who was accompanying security forces, had been killed in the protests. On 23 July, Amnesty International announced that security forces had killed at least eight protesters in the province.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media claimed that demonsrators were killed not by security forces, but by rioters and separatists in an attempt to hijack the protests.
'All talk'
It took more than a week for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to react to the unrest in Khuzestan. In a speech on 23 July, he described people's grievances as valid and blamed the crisis on authorities.
"No one can complain about these people. If the problems in the field of water and sewage in Khuzestan province had been solved by now, we would not be witnessing such problems today," he said.
'During eight years of war with Iraq, this province was destroyed, and now, our own soldiers are killing us and shedding our blood'
- Adel, from Dezful
"The people expressed their displeasure because they are frustrated. This is not a small problem, especially in Khuzestan's hot climate.
"I call on the authorities to quickly solve the problems of the province's people who are really loyal."
Khamenei's remarks come despite the fact that the security forces responsible for the clampdown on protesters in Khuzestan act under his command or under the command of agencies appointed directly by him.
Such statements would unlikely pacify people's anger, although a continued crackdown could end the protests, even if temporarily.
"They are all talk. They just say people have rights, where are these rights? Is a bullet our right? Or shedding our blood? Is it an excessive demand to ask for water? They have no shame,” says Adel*, a 24-year-old from Dezful.
"During eight years of war with Iraq, this province was destroyed, and now, our own soldiers are killing us and shedding our blood. They also curbed access to the internet so that no one can hear us getting killed."
* Interviewees' surnames removed on request
Water crisis that has been intensifying for years has affected all aspects of life for Iranians in the southwestern province
Iranians in northwestern Tabriz hold a rally in solidarity with Khuzestan, far to the south (Twitter)
By MEE correspondent in Khuzestan, Iran
Published date: 25 July 2021
Ali*, a 21-year-old unemployed man, can no longer find work in his province, Khuzestan, even as a farmworker. He says the water shortages have destroyed the agriculture sector in Iran's oil-rich southwestern province.
'Why do we have to face water shortages in the province where the Karun River is full of water?'
- Ali, unemployed in Khuzestan
"We are sick and tired of this situation. Why do we have to face water shortages in the province where the Karun River is full of water?” Ali told Middle East Eye as he contemplated a bleak future in a province where residents have long complained of marginalisation.
"What should I do as a young person? Where can I get a job? How do I make a living? We are stifled by so many problems. Why doesn't anyone pay attention to us?"
Ali, who lives in a village in Ahvaz County, is one of too many people suffering as a result of the water crisis in Khuzestan.
For a week now, the province has been in the spotlight in Iran. On the evening of 15 July, people took to the streets in a number of cities in the province, including Ahvaz, Abadan, Hamidiyeh and Shadegan, Khorramshahr and Mahshahr, to protest against the lack of water and frequent power outages.
The protesters chanted slogans such as "The river is thirsty," "I am thirsty," and "We give our lives and blood to the Karun," while some burned trash cans and tyres in a sign of growing anger over years of neglect despite repeated warnings that the province has been at risk of water shortages.
Iran: Protests over water shortages grow in Khuzestan region amid rising violence
Read More »
In June 2020, people in different parts of the province protested against the lack of water for daily consumption and agricultural purposes, but their demonstrations were violently suppressed. Security forces using pellet guns wounded a number of demonstrators and several others were arrested. Although the authorities at the time said they would solve the problem of water supplies to Khuzestan's villages, their promises have yet to be fulfilled.
In June 2020, people in different parts of the province protested against the lack of water for daily consumption and agricultural purposes, but their demonstrations were violently suppressed. Security forces using pellet guns wounded a number of demonstrators and several others were arrested. Although the authorities at the time said they would solve the problem of water supplies to Khuzestan's villages, their promises have yet to be fulfilled.
Water mismanagement
"People in Tehran would not be able to withstand life in Khuzestan for even a week. The temperature is 50 degrees Celsius, coupled with high humidity, and we have no water," Ahmad*, a 19-year-old who lives in Mahshahr city, told MEE.
"Ever since we could remember, we have never had drinking water, and we have always had to buy water bottles. The people in cities are better off. Water is delivered in tankers to people in villages."
Qassem Soleimani Dashtaki, the provincial governor, confirmed after the protests escalated on 21 July that water has been delivered to 702 villages in Khuzestan in tankers.
However, the move is far from resolving the deeply rooted problem facing the population in the province. Excessive use of groundwater resources, pollution from oil production, water transfers from the Karun and other rivers in Khuzestan to other provinces, and development projects have caused environmental damage and widespread water shortages.
In an interview on 19 July, Hadi Savari, a former member of the Ahwaz City Council, blamed improper dam construction in the province as the main reason for the water crisis.
"Khuzestan has four important rivers, Karun, Dez, Jarahi and Zohreh, and two large wetlands, Shadegan and Hur al-Azim, which have always been full of water throughout history," Savari said.
Iranian press review: Former presidents condemn crackdown on protests
Read More »
"One-third of Hur al-Azim is located on Iranian territory and has been destroyed due to road construction and its division into five basins for oil exploration, as well as the closure of water inlets to Iran by the Iraqi government."
"One-third of Hur al-Azim is located on Iranian territory and has been destroyed due to road construction and its division into five basins for oil exploration, as well as the closure of water inlets to Iran by the Iraqi government."
Protests spillover
The speed of the protests' spillover to other provinces is unprecedented. The demonstrations, which quickly spread to almost all cities of Khuzestan, were taken up in cities further afield, such Kermanshah, Isfahan, and in parts of Lorestan province and Tehran. In response, security forces stepped in to confront and end the unrest.
Photos posted on social media showed the deployment to Khuzestan of police forces from Tehran. Social media activists also posted images of armoured and riot vehicles being unloaded off a plane at Ahwaz Airport in Khuzestan. Several pictures circulating on Twitter show tanks, armoured water cannon trucks and other anti-riot equipment vehicles on the roads in the province.
Meanwhile, authorities have shut down the internet in most parts of Khuzestan in a bid to curb the protests. NetBlocks Internet Observatory reported on 22 July that data confirmed serious disruption to cellular networks in the province beginning on Thursday 15 July.
The strength of the crackdown on protests was quickly condemned.
"They have really no shame," said Naeem*, a 20-year-old from Izeh who had witnessed the mobilisation of anti-riot forces. "They shot at people indiscriminately, while our demonstration was completely peaceful. We were unarmed. We did not have guns.
"Why are they shooting at us? We were not even carrying rocks and sticks. We just chanted that we wanted water."
'Why are they shooting at us? We were not even carrying rocks and sticks. We just chanted that we wanted water'
- Naeem, after protests in Izeh
Izeh, a city of 200,000 people, joined the protest movement after demonstrations spread to small towns. The slogans chanted in the city have been more radical than in other areas in the province, which might explain why the crackdown in Izeh was harsher than in other cities.
Protesters spoke out against the Iranian establishment, with chants that included "Death to the Islamic Republic" and "Death to Khamenei," Iran's supreme leader.
There are different figures available on the number of people killed in the protests so far. The governor of Khuzestan claimed in a press conference on 20 July that only one person, who was accompanying security forces, had been killed in the protests. On 23 July, Amnesty International announced that security forces had killed at least eight protesters in the province.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media claimed that demonsrators were killed not by security forces, but by rioters and separatists in an attempt to hijack the protests.
'All talk'
It took more than a week for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to react to the unrest in Khuzestan. In a speech on 23 July, he described people's grievances as valid and blamed the crisis on authorities.
"No one can complain about these people. If the problems in the field of water and sewage in Khuzestan province had been solved by now, we would not be witnessing such problems today," he said.
'During eight years of war with Iraq, this province was destroyed, and now, our own soldiers are killing us and shedding our blood'
- Adel, from Dezful
"The people expressed their displeasure because they are frustrated. This is not a small problem, especially in Khuzestan's hot climate.
"I call on the authorities to quickly solve the problems of the province's people who are really loyal."
Khamenei's remarks come despite the fact that the security forces responsible for the clampdown on protesters in Khuzestan act under his command or under the command of agencies appointed directly by him.
Such statements would unlikely pacify people's anger, although a continued crackdown could end the protests, even if temporarily.
"They are all talk. They just say people have rights, where are these rights? Is a bullet our right? Or shedding our blood? Is it an excessive demand to ask for water? They have no shame,” says Adel*, a 24-year-old from Dezful.
"During eight years of war with Iraq, this province was destroyed, and now, our own soldiers are killing us and shedding our blood. They also curbed access to the internet so that no one can hear us getting killed."
* Interviewees' surnames removed on request
Violence escalates in water-shortage protests in Iran’s Khuzestan
Six nights of protests over water shortages have turned deadly, with three civilians and one police officer killed.
By Maziar Motamedi
21 Jul 2021
Tehran, Iran – A third civilian has died during protests over water shortages in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, authorities confirmed.
Hossein Nabovati, caretaker of Izeh county’s governor’s office, said on Wednesday that a young man, who he did not name, was hit by a car during protests on Tuesday night and later died of injuries.
“The way he was injured and the identity of his perpetrator or perpetrators is under investigation,” he said.
Nabovati also denied that three more protesters were killed during the protests and said 14 police officials were injured.
Authorities had earlier confirmed that two civilians, 18-year-old Ghasem Khozeiri and 30-year-old Mostafa Naimawi, were shot dead on Friday, but they say the young men were not protesters and were murdered by “opportunists and rioters”.
More protesters are feared dead but officials have yet to confirm further fatalities. They have also not disclosed how many civilians have been arrested.
Iranian authorities said earlier on Wednesday that one police officer, identified by officials as Zargham Parast, was shot dead by “agitators” in Khuzestan, where six nights of protests over water shortages have turned deadly.
State media reported that another police officer in Bandar Mahshahr was wounded after taking a bullet to his leg on Tuesday night, as videos and reports out of the oil-rich southwestern province indicated that violence had not ceased.
Sporadic internet slowdowns or blackouts have been reported across the province for several days. Despite the internet restrictions, numerous videos have come out of several counties in Khuzestan in the past week, in many of which shots can be heard and tear gas is seen being used.
In some videos, protesters can be seen venting angrily at baton-wielding security forces clad in black, riding motorcycles in large numbers.
A video purportedly from Tuesday night showed a tank, set up as a monument to the gruelling eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, set on fire while tyres are seen set aflame to close roads.
The videos could not be independently verified.
Oil-rich Khuzestan, parts of which were temporarily seized by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein after he invaded Iran with backing from the West, has faced water problems for decades.
This year, however, has been especially difficult for the province – and the whole country by extension – due to extremely hot temperatures and droughts that have led to widespread blackouts and water shortages.
Officials acknowledge that the province has been hit hard, but they claim separatist groups are to blame for the violence and accuse foreign media of trying to take advantage of the situation to oppose the theocratic establishment.
The government of outgoing President Hassan Rouhani said it has allocated new funds to alleviate the situation while the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they are deploying water tankers to the thirsty region.
The province also saw some of the largest crowds during the 2019 nationwide protests that formed over the abrupt tripling of petrol prices. Human rights organisations say hundreds were killed during those protests as internet access was almost completely cut off across the country for nearly a week.
Iranians’ reactions
Over the past week, both social and conventional media are filled with accounts and news from and reactions to the situation in Khuzestan.
Hashtags in Farsi such as #KhuzestanIsThirsty and #KhuzestanHasNoWater have been widely used to direct attention towards the crisis and protests that have been scantily covered by international media.
Some civilians have tried to raise funds to buy water bottles and tankers to send to Khuzestan, but others have pointed out that such moves belittle the long-term issues faced by the people of the province who require a sustainable solution after years of mismanagement and neglect following the war.
“Khuzestan’s problem stems from illegal water transfer projects from river forks and stealing water from the source of the rivers by water mafias,” tweeted Fereshteh Tabanian, a lawyer based in Ahvaz.
Khuzestan residents have pointed out on social media that the province has never truly had drinkable tap water and they have had to buy their water or take it from the rivers, many of which have now dried up as well.
The same dirty tap water is now shut off for many citizens.
Power outages also exacerbate the situation as many use electricity-powered pumps to get water inside their homes.
On Tuesday, a group of activists and human rights advocates including Narges Mohammadi, who was freed from prison in October 2020 after serving eight and a half years, demonstrated in front of the interior ministry in the capital, Tehran, to express support for the people of Khuzestan.
Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, said the activist and several others were arrested. He later said they were released in the early hours of Wednesday.
Two former presidents – reformist Mohammad Khatami and hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – have also criticised authorities’ reaction to the protests.
“No political, security, military or law enforcement organisation has the right to confront the people’s protests with violence, weapons or bullets with the excuse of countering chaos,” Khatami said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
Six nights of protests over water shortages have turned deadly, with three civilians and one police officer killed.
By Maziar Motamedi
21 Jul 2021
Tehran, Iran – A third civilian has died during protests over water shortages in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, authorities confirmed.
Hossein Nabovati, caretaker of Izeh county’s governor’s office, said on Wednesday that a young man, who he did not name, was hit by a car during protests on Tuesday night and later died of injuries.
“The way he was injured and the identity of his perpetrator or perpetrators is under investigation,” he said.
Nabovati also denied that three more protesters were killed during the protests and said 14 police officials were injured.
Authorities had earlier confirmed that two civilians, 18-year-old Ghasem Khozeiri and 30-year-old Mostafa Naimawi, were shot dead on Friday, but they say the young men were not protesters and were murdered by “opportunists and rioters”.
More protesters are feared dead but officials have yet to confirm further fatalities. They have also not disclosed how many civilians have been arrested.
Iranian authorities said earlier on Wednesday that one police officer, identified by officials as Zargham Parast, was shot dead by “agitators” in Khuzestan, where six nights of protests over water shortages have turned deadly.
State media reported that another police officer in Bandar Mahshahr was wounded after taking a bullet to his leg on Tuesday night, as videos and reports out of the oil-rich southwestern province indicated that violence had not ceased.
Sporadic internet slowdowns or blackouts have been reported across the province for several days. Despite the internet restrictions, numerous videos have come out of several counties in Khuzestan in the past week, in many of which shots can be heard and tear gas is seen being used.
In some videos, protesters can be seen venting angrily at baton-wielding security forces clad in black, riding motorcycles in large numbers.
A video purportedly from Tuesday night showed a tank, set up as a monument to the gruelling eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, set on fire while tyres are seen set aflame to close roads.
The videos could not be independently verified.
Oil-rich Khuzestan, parts of which were temporarily seized by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein after he invaded Iran with backing from the West, has faced water problems for decades.
This year, however, has been especially difficult for the province – and the whole country by extension – due to extremely hot temperatures and droughts that have led to widespread blackouts and water shortages.
Officials acknowledge that the province has been hit hard, but they claim separatist groups are to blame for the violence and accuse foreign media of trying to take advantage of the situation to oppose the theocratic establishment.
The government of outgoing President Hassan Rouhani said it has allocated new funds to alleviate the situation while the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they are deploying water tankers to the thirsty region.
The province also saw some of the largest crowds during the 2019 nationwide protests that formed over the abrupt tripling of petrol prices. Human rights organisations say hundreds were killed during those protests as internet access was almost completely cut off across the country for nearly a week.
Iranians’ reactions
Over the past week, both social and conventional media are filled with accounts and news from and reactions to the situation in Khuzestan.
Hashtags in Farsi such as #KhuzestanIsThirsty and #KhuzestanHasNoWater have been widely used to direct attention towards the crisis and protests that have been scantily covered by international media.
Some civilians have tried to raise funds to buy water bottles and tankers to send to Khuzestan, but others have pointed out that such moves belittle the long-term issues faced by the people of the province who require a sustainable solution after years of mismanagement and neglect following the war.
“Khuzestan’s problem stems from illegal water transfer projects from river forks and stealing water from the source of the rivers by water mafias,” tweeted Fereshteh Tabanian, a lawyer based in Ahvaz.
Khuzestan residents have pointed out on social media that the province has never truly had drinkable tap water and they have had to buy their water or take it from the rivers, many of which have now dried up as well.
The same dirty tap water is now shut off for many citizens.
Power outages also exacerbate the situation as many use electricity-powered pumps to get water inside their homes.
On Tuesday, a group of activists and human rights advocates including Narges Mohammadi, who was freed from prison in October 2020 after serving eight and a half years, demonstrated in front of the interior ministry in the capital, Tehran, to express support for the people of Khuzestan.
Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, said the activist and several others were arrested. He later said they were released in the early hours of Wednesday.
Two former presidents – reformist Mohammad Khatami and hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – have also criticised authorities’ reaction to the protests.
“No political, security, military or law enforcement organisation has the right to confront the people’s protests with violence, weapons or bullets with the excuse of countering chaos,” Khatami said.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
Khuzestan, Iran’s Richest Province Is Also the Most Miserable Province
By Mahmoud Hamidi
-24th July 2021
There is no doubt that Khuzestan province alone is the richest province in Iran in terms of natural resources. But in terms of indicators of misery, it can be said that Khuzestan ranks at the top of the country’s provinces.
A province with many miseries created by the regime. One day the people must experience power cuts. The other day they must experience devastating floods. Another day they must experience drought in a region which is one of the most watered regions in Iran. Another day they must experience darken sky caused by dust and sandstorms caused by the destruction of wetlands and finally, they must experience the overflow of the municipal sewage system to the streets of their cities.
Of course, the poverty and misery of Khuzestan do not end here. On a sea of oil and next to the rivers that were once the wettest in the country, these days the people of the cities of Khuzestan are experiencing another misery due to the lack of drinking water and lack of access to safe water.
But the poverty and misery of Khuzestan are not only related to environmental issues. The government has done everything possible to discriminate against the citizens in this province.
Khuzestan province is the 18th province in terms of social capital, which a low result is because of the double discrimination by the government, lack of care for the affairs of the province, lack of social freedoms, and lack of close ties with the capital.
According to some reports, 75% of the citizens of Khuzestan believe that the government discriminates against this province.
71% of Khuzestan Arabs believe that they are living in poverty and another 81% believe that unemployment is higher among them than in other provinces. Khuzestan province currently has the highest unemployment rate among the 31 provinces of the country.
In terms of employment, Khuzestan province has the last employment rank in terms of population among the provinces of the country.
The combination of these discriminatory factors along with recent droughts, poverty, extreme heat, the presence of respiratory pollution caused by fine dust and pollutants of industrial plants, unemployment, and inefficient management has made Khuzestan province with about 200,000 migrants rank first in the country in the past few years.
In terms of education, Khuzestan province has the worst rank in the country. This province ranks first for children who have dropped out of school in the country.
Government statistics show that there are 11,000 school dropouts in the province. Different mother tongues and not studying in it, which is obvious discrimination, are the reasons for children not attending school in this province.
Khuzestan also ranks third in the country in terms of illiteracy and this province is facing a shortage of more than 14,000 teachers.
Khuzestan ranks second in the country in terms of marginalization with a 400,000 marginalized population. Of the total area of the province, about 6,000 hectares, equivalent to 13% of this province, is considered urban blight.
Khuzestan is the second province in terms of social harms and in terms of the total number of lawsuits in proportion to the population of the province, which the main reason for this situation is poverty and other social problems in the province.
Khuzestan is not in a good position in terms of women’s employment, which is one of the indicators of development in modern societies. This province is ranked 24th among 31 provinces of the country.
In the field of municipal wastewater, about 35% of the cities in the province do not have environmental permits for municipal wastewater disposal.
This means a catastrophe in the urban environment. Evidence in recent years shows that with every rain, even a small amount, sewage flows into the streets and houses of people in Khuzestan.
In recent decades, illegal dams, drying marshes, and wetlands for oil extraction have turned one million hectares of land in Khuzestan province into deserts, which plays a major role in creating dust storms that endanger the health of the province’s citizens.
Currently, in this province, three critical centers for creating dust have been created in the cities of Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and Hendijan.
Air pollution is another problem in Khuzestan province. In Khuzestan, 11 million tons of carbon dioxide are produced from industrial activities and 38 million tons from the energy sector, which together becomes 49 million tons of air pollutants or 5.7% of total greenhouse gas emissions of the country are produced in this province.
By Mahmoud Hamidi
-24th July 2021
There is no doubt that Khuzestan province alone is the richest province in Iran in terms of natural resources. But in terms of indicators of misery, it can be said that Khuzestan ranks at the top of the country’s provinces.
A province with many miseries created by the regime. One day the people must experience power cuts. The other day they must experience devastating floods. Another day they must experience drought in a region which is one of the most watered regions in Iran. Another day they must experience darken sky caused by dust and sandstorms caused by the destruction of wetlands and finally, they must experience the overflow of the municipal sewage system to the streets of their cities.
Of course, the poverty and misery of Khuzestan do not end here. On a sea of oil and next to the rivers that were once the wettest in the country, these days the people of the cities of Khuzestan are experiencing another misery due to the lack of drinking water and lack of access to safe water.
But the poverty and misery of Khuzestan are not only related to environmental issues. The government has done everything possible to discriminate against the citizens in this province.
Khuzestan province is the 18th province in terms of social capital, which a low result is because of the double discrimination by the government, lack of care for the affairs of the province, lack of social freedoms, and lack of close ties with the capital.
According to some reports, 75% of the citizens of Khuzestan believe that the government discriminates against this province.
71% of Khuzestan Arabs believe that they are living in poverty and another 81% believe that unemployment is higher among them than in other provinces. Khuzestan province currently has the highest unemployment rate among the 31 provinces of the country.
In terms of employment, Khuzestan province has the last employment rank in terms of population among the provinces of the country.
The combination of these discriminatory factors along with recent droughts, poverty, extreme heat, the presence of respiratory pollution caused by fine dust and pollutants of industrial plants, unemployment, and inefficient management has made Khuzestan province with about 200,000 migrants rank first in the country in the past few years.
In terms of education, Khuzestan province has the worst rank in the country. This province ranks first for children who have dropped out of school in the country.
Government statistics show that there are 11,000 school dropouts in the province. Different mother tongues and not studying in it, which is obvious discrimination, are the reasons for children not attending school in this province.
Khuzestan also ranks third in the country in terms of illiteracy and this province is facing a shortage of more than 14,000 teachers.
Khuzestan ranks second in the country in terms of marginalization with a 400,000 marginalized population. Of the total area of the province, about 6,000 hectares, equivalent to 13% of this province, is considered urban blight.
Khuzestan is the second province in terms of social harms and in terms of the total number of lawsuits in proportion to the population of the province, which the main reason for this situation is poverty and other social problems in the province.
Khuzestan is not in a good position in terms of women’s employment, which is one of the indicators of development in modern societies. This province is ranked 24th among 31 provinces of the country.
In the field of municipal wastewater, about 35% of the cities in the province do not have environmental permits for municipal wastewater disposal.
This means a catastrophe in the urban environment. Evidence in recent years shows that with every rain, even a small amount, sewage flows into the streets and houses of people in Khuzestan.
In recent decades, illegal dams, drying marshes, and wetlands for oil extraction have turned one million hectares of land in Khuzestan province into deserts, which plays a major role in creating dust storms that endanger the health of the province’s citizens.
Currently, in this province, three critical centers for creating dust have been created in the cities of Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and Hendijan.
Air pollution is another problem in Khuzestan province. In Khuzestan, 11 million tons of carbon dioxide are produced from industrial activities and 38 million tons from the energy sector, which together becomes 49 million tons of air pollutants or 5.7% of total greenhouse gas emissions of the country are produced in this province.
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