Iran has struggled with chronic drought for over a decade, and it is currently estimated that 97 percent of the country is experiencing drought conditions.
Iran is in the midst of a full-blown water crisis, and the shortages are among the factors leading to widespread unrest in Iranian society.
As reported by ILNA, the Iranian Labor News Agency, protestors blocked the main road leading into the southern Iranian city of Borazjan as part of protests over water scarcity July 22.
This was not the first case of water-related protests turning violent this summer, with violent protests kicking off in Khorramshahr, a city in the southern province of Khuzestan, earlier on July 1.
"No one has been killed in the unrest and just one person has been wounded in a shooting," announced Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.
Although primarily caused by water shortages in the cities, both the protest in Borazjan and in Khorramshahr have quickly turned to targeting government mismanagement and corruption.
Mohammad Baqir Sa’adat, the Dashtestan representative to the parliament, was reported to have said, “The people’s anger is justified.
This highlights the immense challenges for Iranian farmers and, indeed, the government, which seeks to make Iran self-sufficient in its agricultural production.
Due to both crippling heat and inefficient irrigation, the wetlands in the eastern and southeastern parts of Iran have largely dried up, with some estimates stating that 60 out of total 105 have completely dried out.
Considering the ongoing issues with corruption amongst officials and inefficient infrastructural planning, it can only be expected that these problems will continue.