Ilisu: Austrian delegate of the Greens back from on site-inspection

 

 

Sissy Danninger

 

Fears for the environment confirmed, massive concerns about human rights added

 

Before her departure she had already had severe concerns about environmental damage and the imminent destruction of irretrievable cultural values as a consequence of the construction of the Ilisu-dam. Now she returned from her on site-inspection in the region of Hasankeyf (Kurdish: Eskif) on the River Tigris with additional massive concerns about human rights violations, which will be caused by the implementation of the project by an Austrian-led consortium.

 

Eva Glawischnig, deputy speaker of the oppositional Austrian Greens, parliamentary delegate and third president of the national assembly, visited the region with a small delegation from May 28th to 31st. Although invited repeatedly no representatives of the governing Socialists (SPÖ) and Christian Democrats (ÖVP) had joined her. On Monday, June 4th, 2007 Glawischnig presented her experiences, impressions and talks at a press conference.     “Cynical” depictions by export credit agencies   She called the depictions given in Europe by the export credit agencies of Austria, Germany and Switzerland and the companies involved in those three countries “cynical”. According to those presentations 55.000 people would be affected by the inundations, and no more than 15.000 among them would have to be resettled. The majority would “just” lose their land and not their houses.

 

Contrary to those figures a study by Middle East University in the Turkish capital Ankara concludes that between 65.000 and 80.000 inhabitants will have to leave the region because of the project, Glawischnig said. Non-governmental organizations even expect up to 120.000 people to become affected. Apart from their scanty stone houses many of them did not own land at all or just less than five hectares, thus earning their living as day labourers with the few great land owners (mostly living in Ankara) for two to three Euros a day.

 

 

“The poorest will hardly be compensated”

 

Those people would receive but poor compensations for the destruction of their tiny properties, if any at all, - by far not enough for them to find secure new existences, Glawischnig thinks. As a consequence Osman Baydemir, mayor of the provincial capital Diyarbekir, expects about 30.000 to 40.000 Ilisu-refugees for his town only.

 

Following resettlements because of the construction of other hydroelectric power-stations as well as a result of the military conflicts between the Turkish army and Kurdish rebels the number of inhabitants in Diyarbekir has already risen from about 200.000 to more than a million during the last ten years. 40 percent of them were living beneath the poverty level in spite of (overstrained) social institutions - in circumstances including everything from child labour to criminal offences. Similar developments were menacing other towns like Mardin or Batman.

 

 

Bad experiences with Birecik-dam at the Euphrates

 

Very much like now with Ilisu information about the consequences for the inhabitants was sparse in the course of the construction of Birecik-dam at the Euphrates already, which - with Austrian economic involvement, too - was finished in 2001, Glawischnig reported. Promises had been made but were not kept in the end. Above all the flooding started six weeks earlier than originally planned and caused people to flee head over heels with no chance to save their poor possessions or their livestock. Many of them were even poorer today than before the dam was built and have never been compensated. 

 

 

Hasankeyf’s cultural heritage “will not be saved”

 

In no way would it be possible to save the cultural heritage of more than 10.000 year old Hasankeyf with its more than 600 cave-homes in the rocks and over 200 antique sites from submersion by the relocation of parts onto an archaeological park yet to be built according to the consortium’s plans, the delegate stressed. In fact the town fully matches all necessary UNESCO-criteria for a world cultural heritage site, she said. Yet, Hasankeyf was never formally nominated as such by Turkey. But the country’s ratification of UNESCO’s convention for the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage in 1983 already obliges Turkey to preserve such sites theoretically.

 

 

Destruction of still sound riverine environment of the Tigris

 

Contrary to the River Euphrates, which has already suffered severe damage by a series of dams and reservoirs, the riverine environment of the Tigris was still mostly sound, Glawischnig related. Flora and fauna were largely unique and not yet explored or described completely. Scientists in the area complained about being put under pressure by the Turkish authorities in order to make them give up their work as the reservoir would come inevitably.

 

 

Repairing the grid and sustainable tourism instead of the power-plant

 

Repairs of the desolate Turkish grid instead of the construction of the power plant with its planned 1.200 MW would be an economic alternative with truly positive effects for the region according to the Austrian parliamentarian. Electricity losses amounted to 20 percent in Turkey - compared to an average of 8 percent internationally - due to the bad condition of power lines. In spite of its enormous dimensions Ilisu would not be capable to supply more than 2 or 3 percent of the country’s electricity-demand. Renewable energies would offer great potential as well, which is not yet made use of. Estimates calculate up to 50.000 MW for wind energy alone. Last, but not least, the region of Hasankeyf and its inhabitants would get a real chance for sustainable development and thousands of durable jobs by environmentally adapted soft tourism.

 

Presently there is not a single hotel in Hasankeyf. 

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