Farmers of Isfahan Province have vandalized water pump systems twice this week to protest against water transfer from Kouhrang Dam in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari to Yazd Province.
The amount of water that previously fed the farms of Isfahan has shrunk with the transfer project that has reportedly supplied Yazd's drinking water for nearly 20 years.
The attacks caused hours of water cut-off in Yazd both on Saturday and Sunday, Energy Today news website reported.
"Pumps, taps and electrical systems were destroyed on Friday night. Reparations took so long that water did not reach Yazd before 1:00 p.m. on Saturday," said Mohammad Mehdi Javadianzadeh, head of Yazd regional water company.
Yet again, the violators ambushed the installations on Saturday night causing another water cut-off.
"We have called on police forces in Isfahan to increase their patrol in the region to prevent such incidents," the official said.
Already under pressure by water scarcity and low precipitation, farmers in eastern Isfahan, whose livelihood strongly depends on their water share coming from Kouhrang Dam, have voiced grievances several times since the implementation of the water transfer plan.
According to Javadianzadeh, groundwater resources in Yazd are either insufficient or of poor quality for drinking and therefore there is no way to supply it but to draw on the water coming from Kouhrang.
The Energy Ministry has put arrangements on the agenda to address the problems facing farmers in Isfahan. "Part of their damages has been compensated for and the rest is to be paid soon," he said.
Although their action is violent, farmers cannot be blamed alone.
Farmers in Distress
According to Mehrzad Ehsani, an official at Iran Water Resources Management Company, farmers in eastern Isfahan have been under tough pressure, for they received only half of their water share last year (ended March 20) and unfortunately nothing since the beginning of the current year (March 21).
The authorities maintain that the transfer project is thoroughly legal and has received all the required permits. Some have reacted harshly to the protests.
Mahmoud Zamani-Qomi, Yazd's governor general, has recently said, "Any violation and destruction is deemed illegal and offenders should be punished."
Ehsani, however, blamed the seemingly intractable challenge on the "imbalanced industrial and urban development in Iran's central plateau that is the reason behind a major portion of troubles we're struggling with today."
Call for Presidential Intervention
Representatives of Isfahan Province in parliament have recently sent a letter to President Hassan Rouhani calling for an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.
The letter reads: "Given the possible depletion of drinking water for the five-million population of Isfahan Province in the coming summer as well as the constant desiccation of Zayanderoud and lack of water for farming, we request an emergency meeting with lawmakers."
Located on the desert areas of central Iran, Isfahan and Yazd have been among the first provinces where conflicts have emerged over the issue of water.
As the water crisis worsens, tensions become more serious and are likely to spill over to other regions. Appropriate measures to adapt with the situation and manage the dwindling resources seem all the more essential today.
