Iran’s water shortage sparks protests
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Residents of a village in Iranian Kurdistan are wondering why they have no water or electricity despite living close to a dam.
Qolyan village in Kurdistan Province is home to more than 4,000 people. It is situated 8km north of Sanandaj and less than 4km from a dam on Vahdat Lake.
“A major problem of the village is lack of water. The villagers are suffering from the lack of water. They use tankers to bring in water. For four years we have been asking government institutions to solve the water problem," Abed Rezaqoli, a member of the village's council, told Iran’s Fars news agency.
Several cities and hundreds of villages in Iran have faced water shortages in recent years due to decreased precipitation. Experts say authorities have mismanaged the resource.
"The villagers say that the dam is near our village, but we do not have water and electricity. They came to this village from the city because life here is less expensive. But if there is no water, they have to leave," Rezagoli added.
After the revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic promoted agriculture in a bid to be self-sufficient. Today, some 90 percent of Iran's water goes towards the agriculture sector that plays a minor role in the country’s economy.
Water shortages have sparked protests. In Khorramshahr, in the south of Iran, people took to the streets on Friday to protest a lack of clean water.
Qolyan village in Kurdistan Province is home to more than 4,000 people. It is situated 8km north of Sanandaj and less than 4km from a dam on Vahdat Lake.
“A major problem of the village is lack of water. The villagers are suffering from the lack of water. They use tankers to bring in water. For four years we have been asking government institutions to solve the water problem," Abed Rezaqoli, a member of the village's council, told Iran’s Fars news agency.
Several cities and hundreds of villages in Iran have faced water shortages in recent years due to decreased precipitation. Experts say authorities have mismanaged the resource.
"The villagers say that the dam is near our village, but we do not have water and electricity. They came to this village from the city because life here is less expensive. But if there is no water, they have to leave," Rezagoli added.
After the revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic promoted agriculture in a bid to be self-sufficient. Today, some 90 percent of Iran's water goes towards the agriculture sector that plays a minor role in the country’s economy.
Water shortages have sparked protests. In Khorramshahr, in the south of Iran, people took to the streets on Friday to protest a lack of clean water.
Today people in #Iran's Khorramshahr city, populated by mostly ethnic Arabs, protested against water scarcity and demanded clean water as the city attempted to distribute water. The drought-ridden city was a symbol of resistance during the eight-year long Iran-Iraq War. pic.twitter.com/pOmip6a5h0
— IranHumanRights.org (@ICHRI) June 29, 2018