Sat 13 Apr 2019:
The enraged flood-stricken residents in Ain 2 district of Ahvaz, the capital city of the oil-rich Khuzestan province poured into the street on Friday, April 12, to protest government’s handling of floods and its failure to divert water into Hour Al-Azim marshes, reports on social media say.
Footage and images circulated on social media show hundreds of anti-riot forces deployed in the district. It is not clear if there were any incidents or not. The residents are calling for the diversion of the threatening floods toward the marshes, away from towns and villages.
In the past two days, many on social media have accused the Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Oil of blocking the flood from flowing into Hour al-Azim marshes to protect oil facilities and installations from damage.
However, the Minister of Oil, Bijan Namdar Zangeneh has categorically denied the charges.
The presence of special detachment vehicles in areas of Ahwaz city, which today witnessed public protests against the ineffectiveness of the authorities and authorities in the floods of the Kozhistan, including the Ayn Douw and Kohi Alawite neighborhoods
حضور خودروهای یگان ویژه در مناطقی از شهر #اهواز که امروز شاهد اعتراضات مردمی به ناکارآمدی نهادها و مقامات مسئول در #سیل_خوزستان بوده از جمله محلات عین دو و کوی علوی pic.twitter.com/JYHpBECmuB
— Shahram Rafizadeh (@ShahramRafizade) April 12, 2019
This Arab woman protests in the holy city of Khuzestan to Mohsen Heidari, a representative of the province, in the Assembly of Experts. He insisted that “we have been martyred here”, protesting the neglect of state institutions and putting people alone in crisis
این زن عرب در مناطق سیل‌زده خوزستان به محسن حیدری یکی از نمایندگان این استان در مجلس خبرگان اعتراض می‌کند. او با تاکید براینکه «ما اینجا شهید داده‌ایم»، نسبت به بی‌توجهی نهادهای حکومتی و تنها گذاشتن مردم در بحران #سیل اعتراض دارد#سیل_خوزستان pic.twitter.com/Qbeol8a7du
— Shahram Rafizadeh (@ShahramRafizade) April 13, 2019
People protest at # marshisha south of Ahvaz #Mohammadreza_Enghadi, deputy cultural and social assistant of the Sepah and former Basij commander: Go away!
اعتراض مردم در #ملاشيه واقع در جنوب اهواز به #محمدرضا_نقدی معاون فرهنگی و اجتماعی سپاه و فرمانده سابق بسیج: برو گم شو!#سیل_خوزستان pic.twitter.com/FadhcFqVJ1
— Shahram Rafizadeh (@ShahramRafizade) April 12, 2019
Days earlier, images on social media showed violent clashes between the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Special units and people who either refuse to evacuate or protest diversion of water to farmlands.
IRGC’s spokesman, Ramazan Sharif dismissed these reports as baseless, asserting that the Special Unit forces only use “verbal” persuasion to urge people to evacuate their homes.
One resident was reported killed and other injured.
Fars said authorities tried to persuade the villagers to evacuate their homes and allow the destruction of a flood barrier in return for compensation. It also said the barrier was removed later in the day.
