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Exclusive- Ahwazi Palm Groves Die amid Water Shortage Protests

Protesters calling to halt projects for diverting the course of the Karun River in October 2013
Protesters calling to halt projects for diverting the course of the Karun River in October 2013
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Exclusive- Ahwazi Palm Groves Die amid Water Shortage Protests

Protesters calling to halt projects for diverting the course of the Karun River in October 2013
Protesters calling to halt projects for diverting the course of the Karun River in October 2013

Ahwaz is a clear example of environmental and social disasters taking place in Iran as a result of river diverting projects to the country’s central provinces.

Most provinces facing serious water shortages are populated with non-Persian ethnicities. Three decades ago, two-thirds of Iran's fresh water was found in the country’s southwest, which is an Arab majority area.

Over the past 30 years, Ahwaz has been affected by the construction of 67 large and small dams and 6 water transfer projects. 

The registered volume of Ahwaz reservoirs reached more than 45 billion cubic meters of water.

Water transfer projects were designed to transport 8 billion cubic meters per year to all central provinces of Iran and Qom.

“Most dams and water-transfer projects in Ahwaz have not received an environmental license as a prerequisite for the implementation of such projects, but they are continuing despite these conditions,” says an environmental expert.

Sustaining heavy impact from dam projects, Ahwaz lands, which once surprised travelers with their rich green palm groves, became home to the largest dust storms in Iran. Over the past two decades, millions of palm trees have died because of water shortage.

According to official sources, more than 4 million palm trees in Ahwaz are dying today, the fishing industry saw a 30 percent drop and continues to decline.

Such is the case for hundreds of thousands of farms and orchards that once enjoyed golden fertility and now are left arid.

All of which caused the rise of “shocking” crises in the city. 

The Ahwazi Doctors Association also began warning against a breakout of respiratory diseases and cancer.

According to some reports, the rate of cancer in the city of Ahwaz is four times greater than that of other regions in Iran.

The city witnesses persistent protests demanding to roll back projects that are environmentally detrimental.

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, the environmental expert speculated of Iranian parties conspiring to kill Ahwazi nature. He labeled it a ‘large-scale ethnic cleansing project.’

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Car Kills, Injures People Attending Street Festival in Vancouver

26 April 2025, Canada, Vancouveer: Vancouver Police officers secure the scene, where multiple people were killed when a car drove into a crowd at a street festival in the western Canadian city of Vancouver. Photo: Rich Lam/Canadian Press via ZUMA Press/dpa
26 April 2025, Canada, Vancouveer: Vancouver Police officers secure the scene, where multiple people were killed when a car drove into a crowd at a street festival in the western Canadian city of Vancouver. Photo: Rich Lam/Canadian Press via ZUMA Press/dpa
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Car Kills, Injures People Attending Street Festival in Vancouver

26 April 2025, Canada, Vancouveer: Vancouver Police officers secure the scene, where multiple people were killed when a car drove into a crowd at a street festival in the western Canadian city of Vancouver. Photo: Rich Lam/Canadian Press via ZUMA Press/dpa
26 April 2025, Canada, Vancouveer: Vancouver Police officers secure the scene, where multiple people were killed when a car drove into a crowd at a street festival in the western Canadian city of Vancouver. Photo: Rich Lam/Canadian Press via ZUMA Press/dpa

The driver of a car struck revelers at a street festival in Canada, killing and injuring an unknown number of people at the event celebrating Filipino culture, police said.
The vehicle entered the street at 8:14 p.m. Saturday where people were attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, the Vancouver Police Department said in a social media post, according to The Associated Press.
“A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured after a driver drove into a crowd,” police said. The exact number of dead or injured was not immediately available.
A 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested at the scene and the department’s Major Crime Section is overseeing the investigation, police said.
The festival was being held in a South Vancouver neighborhood. Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground. A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in still photos from the scene.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event,” Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said in a social media post, adding that the city would provide more information when possible. “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time."
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian political figures posted messages expressing shock at the violence, condolences for victims and support for the community celebrating its heritage at the festival.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver. We are all mourning with you,” Carney wrote.
“As we wait to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families — and Vancouver’s Filipino community, who were coming together today to celebrate resilience," wrote Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, who was at the festival earlier in the day.
“My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more,” Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre wrote.
David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, the province where Vancouver is located, said he was shocked and heartbroken. “We are in contact with the City of Vancouver and will provide any support needed,” Eby wrote.