The following story is part of series on Turkey's Ilisu Dam project and the flooding of Hasankeyf. However, due to global warming, water will become a quite scarce resource in the future and people may literally fight over water in the near future. The Ilisu dam, part of the Southeast Anatolian project (Gap) and one of Turkey's largest hydroelectric projects to date, has been mired in controversy ever since it was first drafted in 1954 . The government is charging them more for the new houses than it is compensating them for the loss of their current homes and farms, so they will be forced to take on debt in the move. The fate of historic town of Hasankeyf has gotten some international attention, why? Ilisu Dam is not only the tip of the iceberg, but it will remain an unfortunate milestone in the history of Iraq's water security. In this article, the pros and cons of dams are examined. to Keep Hasankeyf Alive, Berne Declaration, Ilisu 20 0 obj<> endobj Cons of Dams 1) Displace a Significant Number of People 2) Disrupts Local Ecosystems 3) Can be Challenging to Maintain Conclusion Pros of Dams First of all, let's have a look at the pros of dams and these are as follows: 1) Provides Help to Retain our Water Supply Since the U.S. invasion, the marshes have been making a slow recovery, but the Ilisu Dam will place their survival in jeopardy once more, according to environmental scientists. Julia Harte, a DC-based journalist for Reuters, gave a public lecture at UVA on October 25th2017. Before the 2006 ground-breaking ceremony, German, Swiss and Austrian export credit agencies had agreed to fund $610 million of the project. Creation of Renewable Energy. The Ilisu Dam is the most recent in a long line of Turkish projects meant to tap into the hydroelectric potential of both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and once completed the Ilisu Dam will generate 1,200 MW, or roughly 2% of Turkey's energy needs. Aswan High Dam Pros and Cons. [17] Ilsu was selected as the preferred site for geological reasons. The Southeastern Anatolian Project was set up to eliminate regional development disparities. Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan is also committed to the Ilsu Dam Project as well and claims Turkey will use internal or other international funding. Extensive hydropower production 2. According to the complainant, the construction will destroy key breeding, feeding and foraging grounds as well as stopover and roosting grounds of migratory species protected under Appendix II of the Bern Convention. 0000002548 00000 n Frequent Flooding Was Prevented. Turbine blades, located inside the dam structure, spin as water surges through the embankment. This is motivating a substantial land. What are the pros and cons of building a dam? Chapter five of the monograph outlines the law governing the Tigris-Euphrates Basin. But this dam on the Tigris River is at the heart of a. The most terrifying threat the Islamic State posed to the region in terms of water security was when it briefly took over Iraqs Mosul Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam on the Tigris River, for ten days in 2014. Dams should only be built when the benefits of building them greatly outweigh the costs. Turkeys government has promoted the dam as a vital development project part of a larger network of dams aimed at reducing the countrys dependency on energy imports and providing jobs in its impoverished southeast region. Global Water Initiative, Copyright 2023 The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia. If dams have both costs and benefits, how should we decide when a dam should be built? [20] Construction of new Ilsu and Kotepe villages were underway as well as the relocation of major portions of Hasankeyf. [17][18] Turkey's Electric Power Resources Survey and Development Administration (EIE) included 10 potential sites in its 1971 Tigris River Pre-Investigation Report. Water experts speculate that the Ilisu Dam's operations have reduced Iraq's share of the Tigris River's water by at least 60 percent, given its storage capacity of about 11 billion cubic. The water storage capacity is estimated at (11-40) billion . In 1930, Turkey started its plans to construct the Ilisu Dam, and in late 2006, the Turkish government laid the foundation stone, only 50 km away from the Iraqi and about 45 km from the Syrian border. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-box-3','ezslot_1',614,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-box-3-0');Dams are a kind of barrier which aims to restrict or stop the natural flow of water. Moreover, the projects take long periods to finish and will have to operate for a long time to recover the money spent on construction. [13], The Ilsu Dam will be a 135m (443ft) high and 1,820m (5,971ft) wide rock-fill embankment dam with a structural volume of 43,900,000m3 (35,590acreft). Low installation and operating costs 3. The electricity generated by dams is in little danger of long-term dissipation. Since through the construction of dams, the water flows can be changed to a certain extent, dams can also be a great tool to create waterways for transportation purposes. Privacy Policy, Q&A with Maria Rossetti, the 2021 Winner of the GWI Graduate Water Symposium, The Flint Lead Crisis is One Example of How Electrochemistry Impacts Clean Water Availability, Jonathan Overpeck on Drought in the Colorado Basin, Executive Education & Lifelong Learning Blog, Institute for Business in Society at Darden. The dam was already in bad shape due to erosion and the fact that it was built on soluble rock. The 1.2 billion dam is to be situated ca. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-leader-3','ezslot_12',193,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-leader-3-0'); This not only increases the popularity of a whole region, it also leads to plenty of income for the local economy since tourists will have to sleep in hotels and eat in restaurants. }, author={Charlotte Vawter Eberlein and H. Drillisch and Ercan Ayboa and T. Wenidoppler}, journal={Water alternatives}, year={2010}, volume={3 . When operational, the dam will support a 1,200 MW power station and will form a 10.4 billion m3 reservoir. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'environmental_conscience_com-banner-1','ezslot_5',144,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-environmental_conscience_com-banner-1-0');Apart from the energy production aspect, dams also provide us with reservoirs which may be suitable for plenty of joyful leisure activities. Several days later a worker was killed in his home by suspected PKK militants. [34], Due to rainfalls dam has achieved the water elevation level of 498.2m as of 1 April 2020. [28][29], The construction reached 96% in June 2017. [8] As of November 2019, the hydroelectric power generation would start in February 2020. The Ilisu Dam, completed as part of Turkey's Gneydou Anadolu Projesi (Southeasternanatolian Development Project or GAP for short in Turkish) in 2019, has faced heavy criticism from both local as well as international observers and downstream countries on the Tigris. The reservoirs that are created through the construction of dams can also be used for recreational purposes. 22 0 obj<>stream Back to Turkish River Page Pros and cons of dams. The Hexagon satellite image has a resolution of 24 feet, enough detail to see the small village by the Tigris River. Dams are constructed on natural streams and rivers. l8&D />_&D:RjYb_Lt]5Y4K/M@ =EcMjiGh6)#0m,>S/KQg6y htQ/z|qOuZF}2T]u)L(|joI4-@A6G<. We as humanity have to switch to renewable green energy sources as soon as possible in order to slow down global warming and to mitigate all kinds of pollution issues. 2. These pages and their content are Copyright of European The fate of the Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq provides us with a case study on the functional deficits of the existing body of international water law in managing conflict over transboundary watercourses. trailer Since our world population is growing at an alarming rate and we will need an increasing supply of energy in the future, hydropower may be a great measure to be able to meet this increasing energy demand. Over 12,000 people are expected to be affected by the dam. 0000002887 00000 n Therefore, the construction of dams can also be a way to reduce unemployment and poverty, especially in poor developing countries of our planet where the economic infrastructure is often quite bad and where well-paying jobs are rare. 0000002303 00000 n It's made in the USA 7. There are several advantages to the Hoover Dam. As I went to university and got my Masters degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics. The complaint was submitted in 2019 by the Kazdagi Association for Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage on the construction of the Ilisu Dam HPP in Turkey. REGIONAL OFFICE - DYARBAKIR - Mardin Office", "Ilsu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant", "Ilsu Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant be completed in 2014", "Turkey says to continue Ilisu dam project Erdogan said the construction of a dam and", "Andritz Hydro to equip Ilisu hydropower project in Turkey", "Turkey's Biggest Dam Project Victim of Faltering Peace", "workers threatened the PKK bloody executions", "Supply convoy for Ilsu Dam attacked: 3 injured", "lsu Baraj ve HES'in yzde 96's tamamland", "How archaeologists discovered an ancient Assyrian city and lost it again", "Ilsu Dam poised to start power generation in February", "Ilsu Baraj'nda enerji retimine balanyor", "Turkey halts filling Tigris dam after Iraq complains of water shortages", "Turkey dam sparks renewed water shortage panic in Iraq", "Ilisu Dam crisis proves the failure of Iraq's successive governments", "Turkey's Dam-Building Spree Continues, At Steep Ecological Cost", "Tigris-Euphrates River Ecosystem: A Status Report", "Iraq Wheat Farmers May Slash Plantings as Turks Fill New Dam", "Exclusive - Water shortages to cut Iraq's irrigated wheat area by half", "Wheat and barley shortage devastates Iraq", "Rare Footage of Ilsu: The Dam That Will Flood Homes and History Across Southern Turkey", Nature Association (Doga Dernegi) page on Ilisu/Hasankeyf, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ilsu_Dam&oldid=1134577597, This page was last edited on 19 January 2023, at 10:32. While the power source itself is carbon dioxide-free, building dams along a river can have consequences for the native fish species. [20], To avoid inflation and other economic repercussions, the Turkish Government has often sought outside assistance to fund the Ilsu Dam Project. Due to a growing economy, Turkish energy consumption has risen by 46% since the year 2000. The problem with frequent flooding that threatened the Yangtze delta every summer was eliminated. It is one of the 22 dams of the Southeastern Anatolia Project and its purpose is hydroelectric power production, flood control and water storage. 1. Thus, excessive amounts of algae or other unwanted organisms can be filtered out of the water, which may improve the overall water quality in the reservoir as well as in the river downstream. In some cases, the existing law governing the utilization of this ephemeral resource has proven inadequate to prevent conflict and ensure access to water and its benefits for people and ecosystems no matter where they lie along the length of the watercourse. This dam will bring big gains to the local people." As these pressures increase, the need for effective legal regimes to address the sharing of transboundary watercourses likewise increases. Source of recreation 7. Among all the Three Gorges Dam pros and cons, its flood control capacity is the most controversial. The Ilsu Dam ( Turkish pronunciation: [su]) is a concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Tigris near the village of Ilsu and along the border of Mardin and rnak Provinces in Turkey. Archeologists are still discovering new artifacts in the town the most recent Neolithic settlement was unearthed in September and they estimate that most of Hasankeyfs archeological sites will be flooded before they can be excavated. How has the dam affected people downstream in Iraq? Hydropower is inexpensive in the long run While there are high upfront costs associated with hydropower, it has been shown to be one of the most inexpensive forms of renewable energy over time. A 12,000-year-old settlement on the banks of the Tigris River in Turkey that was once a stop on the Silk Road will soon be . Finally, other approaches to managing conflict over ecological conditions are examined including a brief analysis of the Rhine Salt Case and the human right to water recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2010. Besides the construction of the dam and relared hydroelectric power plants, the Southeastern Anatolia . Violation of World Bank guidelines and Grand Rapids is one of many communities in Michigan where aging dams offer opportunities for habitat enhancement. Jan 5, 2015. This is the decision of the state and the government." gave a lot of jobs. Nevertheless, let's see the definition of hydropower. First, I will begin with the pros and all the things that dams can benefit us with. The originally planned Mosul Dam watershed (with an area of 54 900 km 2 ) has . It is located on the Tigris river in South-East Anatolia, 65 km upstream of the Syrian and Iraqi border. Atatrk Dam in Turkey is one of the largest earth-and-rock fill dams in the world. If dams break, large amounts of water will flood nearby valley and cities. Wanna make a contribution to save our environment? Water clean up 3. In turn, this could lead to a change of nutrient levels in the water and many water organisms may have to adjust to those new conditions or might be forced to move if they do not like those conditions at all. The Kurdish Human Rights Project, Friends On the other hand, there is plenty of maintenance, supervision and regulation around the proper operation of those hydropower plants that are located inside dams. Together with a severe drought that has afflicted the region for the past decade, this decline in the quantity and quality of Tigris River water is expected to strangle Iraqi agriculture and hobble the recovery of the Mesopotamian Marshes, vast wetlands in southern Iraq where Sumerian civilization began. Scheduled for completion in 2014, it is planned to be the biggest hydropower dam in Africa, with more than twice the generating capacity of the Aswan High Dam. High upfront capital costs. Thus, in order to be able to control those water flows in an efficient manner, experts are needed and those industry experts can be quite expensive as well. For instance, if too many fishes are no longer able to reproduce since they are no longer be able to travel to their mating area, chances are that their prey will explode in population, which may in turn significantly decrease water quality. 2) Disrupts Local Ecosystems. 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