The number of deaths in street protests over water shortages in Iran has risen to five.

As reported by the Alarabiya News Agency, the mass protests took place for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday in Iran’s oil-rich southwestern Ahwaz region. 

Iranian activists shared posts on social media that included videos of people shouting "Death to Khamenei."

Iranians’ anger has been escalating in recent weeks due to the interruption of drinking water from Khuzestan province, the Ahwaz regions, and others.

The southwestern Khuzestan province is home to a large ethnic Arab population.

The water crisis has devastated agriculture and livestock farming and caused power outages which sparked protests in several cities earlier this month.

While the authorities blame the drought for the shortages, the protesters blame it on the government. 

The Activists say the government’s discriminatory policies, such as the excessive transfer of water from Khuzestan to ethnically Persian provinces, are to blame for the shortages.

They also say that the government is knowingly doing so to change the region's demography.