The rapid population growth of Turkey has increased the need for energy and food, as is the case around the world. In Turkey, as in many other countries, authorities are trying to fill the gaps that have arisen in the economy in various ways, often quite environmentally friendly, for example, by building windmills. Dams also use a natural element – water – and, it would seem, should be a wholly modern and convenient solution, but everything turned out not so simple.
Let’s check journalist Tanya Handel’s report – she learned the consequences of the superb construction on the great river.
In early 1990, the Ataturk Dam was built, named after the founder of the Turkish state. Built on the Euphrates River in the 1980s as part of a large-scale Southeast Anatolian project to generate electricity, develop the regional economy, and irrigate farmland.
After its launch, Turkey underwent socioeconomic changes, including positive ones: dams contribute to the country’s economy and accelerate the development of the region. The Ataturk Dam has raised the level of employment in the region, increased incomes, and increased workers’ living standards.
On the other hand, the dam’s construction caused many problems in the region and across the country. To learn more about them, a coalition of independent NGOs and universities conducted a study entitled “Dam Building in Turkey and Their Impact on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights.”
The study considered not only the Ataturk dam but others as well. The study found that dams lead to siltation, ecosystem degradation, migration of animals and birds, disturbance of flora and, in general, “create too many problems.”
How Turkey built the Ataturk dam and cut off water to neighbors
The study describes the difficulties that the construction of the Ataturk Dam brought to the neighboring states of Turkey.
Turkey is the place from where about 90% of the annual flow falls into the Euphrates River. The rest of the water is added in Syria, and then the river flows to Iraq. In early 1990, when construction was completed, Turkey completely shut off the Euphrates for a month to fill the reservoirs with water.
Its government notified the neighboring countries, which are entirely dependent on the river, of its decision, literally a few months before the closure. Of course, all the technical nuances were explained to them, and a compensation program was provided. On paper, everything looked beautiful; in fact, it turned out as usual. Of course, Syria and Iraq were not enthusiastic and protested desperately.
Today, the Ataturk dam takes up about a third of all water. Syria and Iraq claim they regularly suffer from severe water shortages and that Turkey is deliberately using its advantage to turn water into a manipulative tool. Turkey makes official statements that it provides its neighbors with a minimum of 500 m3 of water and claims that Iraq and Syria actually benefit from the regulation of the water dam, as it protects all three coastal countries from seasonal droughts and floods. This conflict has been going on for decades.
Water can flood monuments and carry away an entire city
The study also raises the issue of flooding and the destruction of the country’s cultural and natural heritage.
For example, only 19 out of 580 archaeological settlements located in the impact zone of the Ataturk and Karakaya dams were rescued and transported to museums. However, Turkey is full of natural and cultural resources that nature and humanity cannot reproduce or transfer. Gone are the valleys, caves, rocks, which are monuments of geological periods and whose age is millions of years.
Due to the construction of the dam, there have been significant changes in the location of towns and villages. For example, during the construction of the Ataturk Dam, the city of Samsat disappeared. The study draws analogies with other dams.
For example, the Birejik dam “swept away” the town of Halfeti. It, like Samsat, was based on historical settlements known even before our era. Local tribes allegedly founded Samsat before the Hittites, who came from Central Asia in 6,000 BC. The town was utterly devastated in 1988 as preparations continued for the Ataturk Dam. It has now been moved 10 kilometers north of the old city.
Another example of the flooding of settlements in Turkey is the Keban Dam. During its construction, 59 small towns, 104 villages, about 24 small villages and a couple of dozen farms and farms were submerged under the water of the dam lake.
After the construction of the Ilisu dam, the famous town of Hasankeyf went under water, the historical heritage of which is about 6,000 years old. The city survived the Sumerians and Ottomans. Various plans were developed to restore its cultural heritage, and some buildings were moved, but by
The losses for culture, however, are colossal.
Changes in the natural environment
“Vegetation and living things are most affected by the damage caused by the construction of dams. The river bed is an essential habitat for rare tree species, endemic plants, and some animals. The destruction of flora and fauna is proportional to the size of the lake.
During groundwork, plants in river beds or in areas close to the channels are destroyed, and animals are forced to migrate. This is a severe problem. Our country is not rich in forest cover, and the destruction of existing forest areas for the construction of dams threatens our forest potential,” the study says.
Due to the construction of dams, the populations of many animal species have already changed; in particular, this affected marals, roe deer, brown bears, badgers, and otters.
Interestingly, the economical use of dams ranges from 60 to 100 years due to siltation, and the impossibility of reclaiming these agricultural lands, which were flooded by the dam, further exacerbates the situation.
For example, most of the area in the valley of the Korukh River, where olives were traditionally grown, is flooded due to the construction of the Deriner Dam. Another part of the land was withdrawn from agricultural use due to the organization of the construction site and the construction of additional roads.
The prevention of floods and floods in rivers causes some downstream nutritional problems. In particular, the decrease in the number of certain minerals in the soil makes it necessary to add these minerals to the soil. Thus, the need for fertilizers increases. This change in the ecosystem forces various beneficial microorganisms to cease their activity, and an ideal environment for the vital activity of harmful microorganisms appears. Gradually, some parasitic diseases may develop in the river, which were not typical for the region.
When the dams begin to collect water, an artificial lake is formed behind the dam, and a new level of the bottom is developed for the flow that flows into this lake. As a result, many changes occur in the soil. Especially the vibrations caused by explosions during dam construction – directly upset the balance of the slopes, causing crack growth, erosion, and weathering.
Such loose soil becomes saturated with moisture faster when the dam begins to collect water, so the massive displacement and the force of erosion increase.
One of the territories was monitored for 11 years before the dam’s construction, and 11 years after and found a significant increase in soil and air humidity. The temperature dropped by 0.7° C, the wind speed decreased, and cultivated plants replaced natural vegetation.
Given this data, Turkish politicians in the media said that the impact of the dams on the climate is actually not that great and is limited to the reservoir and the valley where it is located. But even such a slight increase in humidity is already causing the extinction of many endemic plants.
Also, Turkey is geographically located in a seismically active zone. If the dam is destroyed by an earthquake, which is highly likely to occur, settlements and agricultural land at the bottom of the dam lake will be severely damaged. According to the study, about 44% of dams in Turkey are located in earthquake zones, which is a big problem.
“States will fight the next world war over water” is an oft-repeated phrase that reverberates with urgency in the Middle East and North Africa, the most water-insecure region of the world. Let’s get to know about the controversial Nile River dam project that has been the source of tensions between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, from here.
