Uludere Dam

Uludere Dam
Location of Uludere Dam
Country Turkey
Location Uludere, Şırnak Province
Coordinates 37°25′31.65″N 42°48′22.63″E / 37.4254583°N 42.8062861°ECoordinates: 37°25′31.65″N 42°48′22.63″E / 37.4254583°N 42.8062861°E
Purpose Water supply, military
Status Under construction
Construction began 2008
Construction cost US$65,920,000 (TL103,000,000) (Combined cost with Balli Dam)[1]
Owner(s) State Hydraulic Works
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Gravity, roller-compacted concrete
Impounds Ortasu River
Height 55.5 m (182 ft)
Length 431 m (1,414 ft)
Elevation at crest 913 m (2,995 ft)
Width (crest) 8 m (26 ft)
Dam volume 35,000 m3 (45,778 cu yd)
Spillway type Overflow
Reservoir
Total capacity 20,100,000 m3 (16,295 acre·ft)
Catchment area 196.4 km2 (76 sq mi)
Normal elevation 908.49 m (2,981 ft)
Power station
Turbines 2 (planned)


The Uludere Dam is a gravity dam under construction on the Ortasu River (a tributary of the Hezil River) in Uludere district of Şırnak Province, southeast Turkey. Under contract from Turkey's State Hydraulic Works, Hidrokon began construction on the dam in 2008 and a completion date has not been announced.[2]

The reported purpose of the dam is water storage and it can also support a 3.5 MW hydroelectric power station in the future.[3] Another purpose of the dam which has been widely reported in the Turkish press is to reduce the freedom of movement of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants. Blocking and flooding valleys in close proximity to the Iraq–Turkey border is expected to help curb cross-border PKK smuggling and deny caves in which ammunition can be stored. A total of 11 dams along the border; seven in Şırnak Province and four in Hakkâri Province were implemented for this purpose. In Şırnak they are the Silopi and Şırnak Dams downstream of the Uludere Dam and the Balli, Kavşaktepe, Musatepe and Çetintepe Dams upstream on the Ortasu River. In Hakkari are the Gölgeliyamaç (since cancelled) and Çocuktepe Dams on the Güzeldere River and the Aslandağ and Beyyurdu Dams on the Bembo River.[4][5][6][7]

See also

References

  1. "Uludere Dam construction tender". DGMarkets. 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  2. "DSI 10 REGIONAL OFFICE - Diyarbakir" (in Turkish). State Hydraulic Works. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  3. "Terror Down" (in Turkish). Posta. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  4. "Planned to be completed in the second dam on the border against the PKK" (in Turkish). Hurriyet. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  5. "Dams Prevent Smuggling at the Border" (in Turkish). Aktif Haber. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. "Water retention dams began operation against PKK" (in Turkish). CNNTurk. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2013.