IRAN
Thousands of Iranians protested in Isfahan in central Iran over the weekend to protest conditions brought about by a deep drought that has gripped the region and demand the revival of a major river that has dried up, Al Jazeera reported.
Protests have been taking place in the province for more than a week but the large weekend demonstrations attracted the attention of the government.
Farmers have been gathering on a huge barren strip of dirt where the major Zayandeh Rud River used to flow. The river has faced numerous periods of drought over the years and farmers say, the government has ignored the issue. However, the drying up of the river directly affects hundreds of thousands of farmers in the province, as well as the environment.
Following the protests over the weekend, Iran’s government vowed to “seriously” follow up on the issue and has proposed a number of solutions, without going into future detail. Even so, attempts by previous governments to resolve the drought issue have gone nowhere.
Iran has been affected by droughts for decades but they have intensified in recent years and expanded to impact much of the country.
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