One protester said: “We are here as locals of the Greater Gheyzanieh area. There are people here from nearly 36 districts. We are all thirsty.”
The rally was held outside the local Electricity Department building, which is responsible for pumping water across the town. So far, nothing has been done to address the people’s problems with the Khuzestan governor giving just empty promises that locals describe as meaningless and refuse to accept.
Another local explained that the regime is obligated to provide water, but the complaints of the people have gone unheard. The protester said that the regime’s promises were “nothing but lies” and not to believe the mullahs.
A third said: “They are lying about the water issue. They’re lying and then they describe us as Wahabis. We just want what is rightfully ours, but they describe us as Wahabis and say we are pursuing political objectives. They can do nothing but resort to attempts aimed at tarnishing our image.”
The locals had held another protest regarding this matter on Saturday when they blocked the road linking Ahvaz and Mahshahr. The regime sent out the oppressive security forces who resorted to using tear gas and live ammunition on the protesters, which injured several people, including a child.
Even the state-run news agency acknowledged the dire conditions, with some residents having no water at all on certain days, even though this area of Khuzestan is home to the oil rigs that provide a huge part of Iran’s oil revenues.
This is not a new thing. four years ago, Gheyzanieh locals were filmed protesting shortages of electricity, gas, and water, asking who they should voice their pains to and if they were not considered Iranians.
In related news, residents of Chumeh Seyed Alavan, near Shadegan in Khuzestan, held a rally over electricity shortages on Sunday.
One local said: “We haven’t had any electricity since Saturday. Each time we call they say the electricity will be back in a bit. For a while they say there are no electricity transformers, later they said they don’t have the necessary equipment… shouldn’t the Electricity Department have prepared itself for such circumstances? Shouldn’t there be an official able to respond to our questions?”
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