| Ilisu Dam | |
|---|---|
Model of the dam |
|
|
|
|
| Official name | Ilısu Baraji |
| Location | Kartalkaya, Turkey |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction began | August 5, 2006 |
| Opening date | 2015 (est.) |
| Construction cost | US$1.7 billion |
| Owner(s) | State Hydraulic Works |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Height | 135 m (443 ft) |
| Volume | 43,800,000 m3 (35,509 acre·ft) |
| Impounds | Tigris River |
| Type of spillway | Service, controlled-chute |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Ilisu Reservoir |
| Capacity | 10,400,000,000 m3 (8,400,000 acre·ft) |
| Surface area | 313 km2 (121 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Hydraulic head | 182 m (597 ft) |
| Turbines | 6 x 200 MW |
| Installed capacity | 1,200 MW |
| Annual generation | 3,833 GWh |
| Website http://www.ilisubaraji.com/ |
|
The Ilisu Dam (also known as Ilısu Dam locally, Turkish pronunciation: [ɯɫɯˈsu]) 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 water storage. When complete, the dam will support a 1,200 MW power station and will form a 10.4 billion m3 reservoir. Construction of the dam began in 2006 and it is expected to be complete by 2015. The dam has drawn international controversy, because it will flood portions of ancient Hasenkeyf and necessitate the relocation of people living in the region. Because of this, the dam lost international funding in 2008.
Contents |
The Ilisu Dam will be a 135 m (443 ft) high and 1,820 m (5,971 ft) wide embankment dam with a structural volume of 43,900,000 m3 (35,590 acre·ft). Its power station will be above ground and will contain 6 x 200 MW generators with an expected annual generation of 3,833 GWh. The dam's reservoir will have a capacity of 10,400,000,000 m3 (8,431,417 acre·ft) and a surface area of 313 km2 (121 sq mi).[1][2][3]
A study for the dam was made in 1954 and in 1997 it was added to the national plan. On August 5, 2006 the foundation stone for the dam was laid and initial construction began.[4]
To avoid inflation and other economic repercussions, the Turkish Government has often sought outside assistance to fund the Ilisu Dam Project. However, pressure from environmental and human rights groups have often halted this process. In 2000, the British Government declined $236 million in funding for the Ilisu Dam. Before the 2006 ground-breaking ceremony, German, Swiss and Austrian export credit agencies had agreed to fund $610 million of the project. In December 2008, the European firms suspended funds for the dam and gave Turkey a 180-day period to comply with over 150 international standards. In June 2009, after failing to meet the standards, the European firms officially cut the funding for the Ilisu Dam Project. Shortly after the announcement of the funding loss, Turkey's Environment Minister Veysel Eroğlu said “Let me tell you this, these power plants will be built. No one can stop it. This is the decision of the state and the government.” Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also committed to the Ilisu Dam Project as well and claims Turkey will use internal or other international funding. Turkey stated that construction would start again in July 2009.[5] In February 2010 it was announced that loans had been granted and the project would continue.[6]
Since construction began, raising and repairing work on over 52 km (32 mi) of affected roads has begun, of which 9.4 km (6 mi) is complete as of 2011. A 110 m (361 ft) long temporary bridge was constructed upstream of the dam site which is supported by 30 sections of steel pipe. Additionally, a 250 m (820 ft) permanent steel-girder bridge with concrete supports is being constructed just downstream of the dam. Construction of the relocated Ilisu village has also begun as well. As far as the dam structure is concerned, the three river diversion tunnels and foundation work are currently under construction.[4]
According to KHRP, completion of the Ilısu Dam will cause the flooding of the ancient city of Hasankeyf whose history stretches back over 10,000 years. About 185 settlements (villages and hamlets) will be fully or partially affected by flooding. The involuntary resettlement process will involve 55,000-65,000 people (40,000 Turkish Gov't estimates). Census data is not available yet. According to a KHRP report, at least 19 villages have reportedly been evacuated at gunpoint by the Turkish authorities in the reservoir area, and in many cases houses have been burnt to the ground, only a few people being compensated.[7] The KHRP also states that:
The town is of particular cultural significance to the Kurdish people: the delegation found a widespread perception that the GAP project, and Ilısu in particular, is motivated primarily by a desire to destroy the Kurds as an ethnic group by destroying their most important cultural sites.[8]
The Ilisu Dam is viewed by some as a way to limit PKK movements with its reservoir.[9]
Alternatively, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at the ground-breaking ceremony, stated : "The step that we are taking today demonstrates that the south-east is no longer neglected. This dam will bring big gains to the local people." Ankara hopes that the dam - part of a long-term plan to develop the poor, mainly Kurdish region - will create up to 10,000 jobs, irrigate farmlands and attract tourists. The government has promised to compensate local people who will lose their homes and that all the valuable artifacts will be relocated before the dam's completion in 2013.[10]
|
|||||||||||