Ilisu Dam, Turkey. Retrieved from: www.ibtimes.com
“HASANKEYF, Turkey, Jun 13, 2011 (IPS) – The tranquillity and mystery of this town on the banks of Tigris River will not last long. The millennia-old town will be nearly totally destroyed once the nearby Ilisu dam, built for energy and irrigation, is complete.
“I don’t want to be forced to move from here,” said Nurten Kandemir, 27, who was born and has lived most of her life here. Kandemir’s family along with other residents of the town have to evacuate the area in the coming months. “I feel a part of my body is taken away from me,” she told IPS.
Hasankeyf is dotted with captivating architecture surviving from the times of Roman, Byzantine, Assyrian and Muslim empires.
The construction of Ilisu, part of the larger South-eastern Anatolia Project, started in 2006. After completion, it is expected to produce 1,200 megawatts of electricity.
Many local and international groups are criticising what they call the detrimental effects of the dam on environment, archaeological sites and the rights and culture of the people living in the area.
Some hydrologists warn that Ilisu’s large and deep reservoir will negatively affect the quality of the water as there will be less influx of oxygen. They say the dam will alter the ecosystem of the area and threaten to make some species extinct. Fish eggs, for instance, are not expected to survive in the deep reservoir of the dam.”
Read more: IPS News
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