Iran announced Thursday the arrest of 25 people during protests last month against severe water shortages and a lack of response from officials in a western province, local media reported.

"During three illegal gathering that took place in Hamadan, 25 people were arrested," the provincial governor was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency.

Hundreds of Iranians took to the streets in Hamadan province in late August to protest a lack of drinking water, complaining of officials' inability to resolve the problem.

Parts of Hamadan had been enduring water cuts for eight days, leading protesters to demand the resignation of the governor and of "incompetent officials", the daily Hamshahri reported at the time.

The state news agency IRNA also reported that demonstrators had shouted "slogans against the officials" and "demanded urgent action to provide drinking water to the city".

Iran has been facing increasing levels of drought that have caused water shortages and sparked fears of worse environmental crises.

Lake Urmia, the Middle East's largest lake located in the northwest of Iran, is at risk of completely drying up if rescue efforts are not prioritised over the needs of farmers, an Iranian environment official said Tuesday.

In mid-July, police arrested several people for "destroying public property and disturbing the security of the population" after they demonstrated against the drying up of the lake.

It was one of a spate of demonstrations in Iran this year against the drying up of rivers and lakes in drought-affected areas of the centre and west.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Drought causes Yangtze to shrink
Paris (ESA) Sep 06, 2022
A record-breaking drought has caused parts of the Yangtze River to dry up - affecting hydropower, shipping routes, limiting drinking water supplies and even revealing previously submerged Buddhist statues. The Yangtze is China's most important river, providing water to more than 400 million Chinese people. This summer, it has reached record-low water levels with rainfall in the Yangtze basin around 45% lower than normal with entire sections and dozens of tributaries drying up. The loss of water fl ... read more