Human Rights Violations in Iran's Water and Environment Sectors

A Systematic Analysis from the Perspective of International Law, Institutional Corruption, and Human Narratives Nik Kowsar

The water and environmental crisis in Iran has reached a catastrophic point. What initially might have been considered merely an environmental challenge has today transformed into a multifaceted crisis with political, legal, social, and ethical dimensions. The mismanagement of natural resources, the implementation of construction projects without environmental impact assessments, unsustainable development policies, and the systematic suppression of environmental activists have collectively led to widespread and systematic violations of human rights.

This paper, based on a combination of three analytical reports, scientific data, and field and legal experiences, provides a comprehensive picture of the current situation, the structural roots of the crisis, and the tools for international advocacy. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines legal analysis, field data review, and human narratives. Data has been collected from a variety of sources, including satellite imagery from NASA and the European Space Agency, reports from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, HRANA, and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, testimonies of detained activists and their families, leaked documents from government institutions, and scientific data published by reputable academic and research centers.

According to international documents, the right to access safe water and a clean environment is considered a fundamental human right. This right includes components such as reasonable physical accessibility, affordability, quality and safety, intergenerational sustainability, and non-discrimination in utilization. However, extensive evidence in Iran indicates that these principles have been systematically violated.

High-risk environmental projects lacking proper assessments are clear examples of these violations. The Gotvand Dam, by increasing the salinity of the Karun River to more than 8,000 microsiemens, has contributed to the prevalence of kidney diseases in southern regions. The Koohrang water transfer project has led to the drying up of the Zayandehroud River, the destruction of agriculture in Isfahan, and the migration of tens of thousands of people. Lake Urmia, due to ecosystem depletion and excessive extraction, has lost 95% of its area and has become a source of salt dust storms. Unsustainable agricultural policies, consuming over 90% of the country's renewable water resources, are not only an environmental disaster but also a threat to food security and public health.

Local narratives vividly illustrate the human dimensions of this crisis. A mother in Zabul says: "Water comes from the tap, but it smells like sewage. My son has never smiled since." Reports of the deaths of over 200 children in Sistan and Baluchestan due to contaminated water, the forced migration of hundreds of thousands of people from the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Khuzestan, and Kerman, and the dramatic increase in respiratory diseases and cancer around Lake Urmia, demonstrate that this crisis is not merely environmental but a direct threat to the right to life and human dignity.

In the background of this disaster, the role of military institutions in the implementation of projects is quite prominent. Khatam al-Anbia Construction Headquarters, the economic arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), controls more than 80% of major dam construction and water transfer projects. Large-scale contracts with Chinese and European companies have often been concluded without transparency and without environmental impact assessments. According to data, over the past decade, more than 70 major water projects have been implemented without any EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment).

Simultaneously, the suppression of environmental activists, the prohibition of publishing vital data such as the rate of land subsidence in Tehran, and the obstruction of visits by UN special rapporteurs to Iran, testify to the lack of accountability and the widespread system of censorship. The detention of activists such as Sam Rajabi, Niloufar Bayani, Houman Khakpour, and others is part of the security agencies' effort to silence independent voices in the environmental field.

The legal analysis of this situation is based on binding international instruments. Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights obligates states to guarantee the health of the environment and water resources. UN General Assembly Resolution 64/292 recognizes the right to water and sanitation. According to Article 7 of the Rome Statute, if a pattern of mortality, displacement, and destruction of essential resources of life is proven to be structural and intentional, it can be considered a crime against humanity. Furthermore, the Aarhus Convention, to which Iran is not a party but whose principles it has been influenced by, considers the lack of transparency and the obstruction of public participation as a violation of environmental rights.

Tools such as satellite imagery, meteorological data, local testimonies, and citizen-journalist reports play a key role in documenting violations. There are also possibilities for legal recourse through international channels, including submitting reports to UN special rapporteurs, using the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism at the Human Rights Council, and filing documented cases with the International Criminal Court. The production of multimedia content and expository documentaries can also raise global public awareness of the depth of the disaster.

At the level of structural reforms, necessities include the legal requirement for environmental impact assessments before the implementation of any project, the withdrawal of military institutions from natural resource management processes, the establishment of a truth commission to document the rights of affected communities, and the public disclosure of environmental and water resource data. The formation of a network of academics, civil society organizations, and independent media for participatory monitoring would be a fundamental step towards restoring sustainable and accountable governance.

Recommendations to international institutions include the imposition of targeted sanctions on responsible institutions and individuals through mechanisms such as the Magnitsky Act, and the pursuit of legal action for violations in international judicial forums. Civil society must also play its role by empowering data-driven journalists, developing secure reporting platforms, and networking among activists. The Iranian government is also obliged to immediately halt projects lacking EIA, release imprisoned activists, and accept international monitoring bodies.

Ultimately, the water and environmental crisis in Iran is not only a crisis of a land but also a sign of the collapse of a system of governance that has been unable or unwilling to adhere to the fundamental rights of its people. Addressing this crisis requires the convergence of human narratives, targeted international pressure, and a collective will for accountability and reform. In the face of such a disaster, silence is not neutrality but complicity.