Protesters formed a human chain on the banks of the Karoon River yesterday, November 1, in their third such demonstration against the transfer of water from the river.

Kordpa reported on Friday that thousands of Ahwaz residents participated in the protests against transfering river water to Isfahan, Rafsanjan and other central areas of the country.

Dubbed the “chain of silence”, it’s the third such protest against government plans to redirect waters from the Karoon.

In her trip to Ahwaz last week, the head of the Department of the Environment, Massoumeh Ebtekar, said the transfer of water from the Karoon must be done in a way that does not threaten the river. However, so far there has been no word from the government about scrapping the “Behesht Abad Plan” to transfer water from Karoon in the central areas of the country.

The plan would see water from Karoon river sources redirected to Isfahan and Yazd provinces using 300-metre deep tunnels.

Experts claim the transfer could cause the river to completely dry out, which would have a catastrophic impact on the region’s economy and environment.

Radio Zamaneh