Protesters who have been camped out across the drained basin of River Zayandeh Rood in the central Iranian city of Esfahan woke up to a pre-dawn raid by riot police Nov. 25. Videos on social media were replete with chaotic scenes as tents were set on fire, with police teargassing the protesters to put an end to their two-week sit-in.
In an attempt to highlight the plight of excruciating water shortages and express their frustration with mismanagement of water resources, the protesters had chosen the riverbed — the bloodline of local farming — which has now turned into an apocalyptic barren land.
