On July 20, 2021, at least 18 local activists were arrested by Iranian authorities. Several videos shared on social media show law enforcement personnel shooting toward fleeing protesters. Since July 15, 2021, people in dozens of towns and cities in Khuzestan province, Iran, have taken to the streets every evening to protest difficulties with accessing water in the area. The clashes are due to longstanding concerns across Iran, and Khuzestan in particular, over alleged mismanagement of water resources and pollution from oil development. For decades environmental experts have warned that development projects in oil-rich Khuzestan, including the construction of hydroelectric dams, irrigation schemes, and water transfers to neighboring provinces are causing environmental harm and leading to water shortages affecting a range of rights.