Ilisu Dam Campaign
Encyclopedia
The Ilısu Dam Campaign is a UK
based campaign working to stop the construction of the Ilısu Dam
on the river Tigris
in south east Turkey
. The construction plans for the dam would lead to the flooding of about 300 square kilometers and would displace between 25,000 and 78,000 people, in the Hasankeyf
district of the Batman
province.
, but it's also supposed to provide better irrigation
for local agriculture
. Those who oppose the dam claim that human rights
and environmental
issues have been disregarded in the planning. The dam would also lead to the drowning of hundreds of archeological
sites, including the ancient town of Hasankeyf
.
In 2002, the campaign won an important victory when it forced UK based company Balfour Beatty
and other European companies, like Swedish
based Skanska
, to withdraw from the project. The companies involved in the project had applied for Export Credit Guarantees
from their home governments, which meant that taxpayers money would be used to finance the project.
of the dam is Austria
n based VA TECH, a subsidiary
of Siemens AG
. According to the Turkish government, new resettlement plans are supposedly planned and a large fund
is supposed to be set up to rescue some parts of the town of Hasankeyf by moving them elsewhere.
According to the opponents of the dam, these new plans do not adequately address the original concerns and as of August 2005 the campaign is still active.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based campaign working to stop the construction of the Ilısu Dam
Ilisu Dam
The Ilisu Dam is an embankment dam under construction on the Tigris River near the village of Ilisu and along the border of Mardin and Sirnak Provinces in Turkey. It is one of the 22 dams of the Southeastern Anatolia Project and its purpose is hydroelectric power production, flood control and...
on the river Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
in south east Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The construction plans for the dam would lead to the flooding of about 300 square kilometers and would displace between 25,000 and 78,000 people, in the Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981...
district of the Batman
Batman Province
Batman Province is a Turkish province southeast of Anatolia. The province's population exceeded 500,000 in 2010.The province is important because of its reserves and production of oil which was started in the 1940s. There is a 494-km long oil pipeline from Batman to the Turkish port of İskenderun....
province.
Initial plans for the dam
The main purpose of the dam is the production of hydroelectric powerHydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
, but it's also supposed to provide better irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
for local agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Those who oppose the dam claim that human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
issues have been disregarded in the planning. The dam would also lead to the drowning of hundreds of archeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
sites, including the ancient town of Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981...
.
In 2002, the campaign won an important victory when it forced UK based company Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc is a British construction, engineering, military housing, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world...
and other European companies, like Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
based Skanska
Skanska
Skanska AB, is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden, where it also is the largest construction company. The company's head office is in Solna, north of Stockholm.-History:...
, to withdraw from the project. The companies involved in the project had applied for Export Credit Guarantees
Export Credit Agencies
An export credit agency or Investment Insurance Agency, is a private or quasi-governmental institution that act as an intermediary between national governments and exporters to issue export financing...
from their home governments, which meant that taxpayers money would be used to finance the project.
Current plans
The plans for the dam were not scrapped however, and in 2005 the project resurfaced. This time one of the main contractorsGeneral contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
of the dam is Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n based VA TECH, a subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
. According to the Turkish government, new resettlement plans are supposedly planned and a large fund
Funding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
is supposed to be set up to rescue some parts of the town of Hasankeyf by moving them elsewhere.
According to the opponents of the dam, these new plans do not adequately address the original concerns and as of August 2005 the campaign is still active.
Impact on Displaced Cultures
The Ilısu Dam project has been criticized for the fact that the damming of the Tigris River will flood a significant portion of the region, effectively erasing the cultural and archaeological history of those displaced peoples.See also
- Mark ThomasMark ThomasMark Clifford Thomas is a left-wing English comedian, presenter, political activist and reporter from south London. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s. He is best known for political stunts on his show, The Mark...
British comedian and journalist, Chairman of the campaign - Three Gorges DamThree Gorges DamThe Three Gorges Dam is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China...
a controversial dam project in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - Southeastern Anatolia ProjectSoutheastern Anatolia ProjectThe Southeastern Anatolia Project is a multi-sector integrated regional development project based on the concept of sustainable development for the 9 million people living in the Southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey...
- Aswan High Dam a dam that caused a comparable loss of archaeological sites
External links
- Ilısu Dam Campaign campaign homepage
- Kurdish Human Rights Project, founding member of campaign
- / Mark Thomas, founding member of campaign
- Friends of the Earth, founding member of campaign
- Corner House, founding member of campaign
- UK drops Turkish dam plan article from The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
- Re-Emergence of Discredited Ilısu Dam Project
- Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive
- Life in Limbo" is a 2009 documentary on life in the town of Hasankeyf, which is threatened by the Ilisu Dam project. It is directed by Sakae Ishikawa,
- "Hasankeyf waiting life" is a 2009 documentary directed by Mauro Colombo
- Watch the documentary "Life in Limbo" for free on snagfilms.com.