Designs
for Turkey's Ilisu dam were finalized in 1982, but social, historical
and environmental concerns have stalled development for decades. But
this weekend saw the country's prime minister attend the groundbreaking
ceremony for the dam, which is considered one of the world's most-controversial
public works projects.
The ancient Turkish city of Hasankeyf is
no stranger to conquest by distant powers. Nestled on the banks of
the Tigris River, it still bears the mark of its successive rulers
-- among them, Romans, Arabs, Mongols and Ottomans.
But now it's those reminders of a settlement that was established
several thousand years before Christ's birth that Hasankeyf's 3,800
citizens fear will be lost. The ancient city lies at the heart of
plans for a massive dam project that will provide water supplies and
electricity to Turkey's southeast.
Over the weekend, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's attended
a groundbreaking ceremony for the project -- against the backdrop
of 4,000 protestors who rallied against the Ilisu dam, which would
forever submerge the town's archeological heritage.
"We will lose a real treasure," said Ercan Ayboga of the
Initiative to Save Hasankeyf. Zeynep Ahunbay, a prominent activist
for the preservation of historical sites in Turkey went even further,
saying the ruins should be given UNESCO'S "world cultural heritage"
designation.
Turkey says the €1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) Ilisu dam, one of 21 outlined
under the broader $32 billion Greater Anatolia Project (GAP), will
improve agricultural and social conditions by controlling flooding
and improving irrigation.
A mini Three Gorges?
But numerous contractors, including Swiss bank UBS and British firm
Balfour Beatty, have pulled out of the project in recent years, citing
social and environmental concerns.
The massive public works project is being promoted by Ankara as part
of an effort to develop the impoverished Kurdish region. Still, the
project is coming at a high cost for the region's residents. Once
the dam gates are closed, an area of 313 square kilometers (120.8
square miles) will be flooded.
The flooding will displace at least 15,000 people. And though they
are likely to receive some compensation from Ankara, a total of 50,000
will lose land or other property. Some NGOs have claimed the move
-- in a predominately Kurdish region - is a direct attempt to rid
the country of pro-autonomy Kurds. But Ankara is promoting the massive
public works project as part of efforts to develop the impoverished
Kurdish region.
In addition, the project has created tensions in Iraq and also in
Syria, where the river forms a 32-kilometer long border with Turkey.
The drought-plagued countries have accused Turkey of monopolizing
the river's water.
Yet despite criticism at home and abroad, Turkey is charging ahead
with construction of the Ilisu dam. The dam's turbines are expected
to generate 3,800 gigawatts of electricity per hour and the government
in Ankara says it will represent a major Turkish contribution to the
development of renewable energies. The appetite for energy certainly
exists. According to Water Power and Dam Construction, an industry
publication, Turkey's electricity consumption doubled in the 1990s
and is likely to continue to rise.
The project has also drawn criticism in Germany, where the government
in Berlin is providing export credit guarantees for construction of
the dam. German construction giant Züblin is also a partner on
the project. The German government is eager to avoid irritating its
close partner, which is seeking membership in the European Union,
but at the same time it must ensure that it isn't supporting a dubious
project.
For its part, Turkey is taking pains to
make the project more palatable to its opponents. Ankara has promised
to save Hasankeyf's cultural treasures, with a plan in the works to
move the historical buildings and reassemble them in an archaeology
park. But experts like Ahunbay dismiss that pledge and describe it
as "almost impossible." The ancient structures were built
with such delicate stone that they would likely crumble if disassembled.
Besides, Ahunbay argues, Hasankeyf is a unique natural monument that
cannot be recreated in a park. Together with other opponents, she
has filed a case to halt construction of the dam with the European
Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
cfc/spiegel/afp
