13/03/2008  Green MEP calls for halt to Ilisu Dam Development

On 14 March, International Day of Action for Rivers, Jean Lambert will call on the Turkish Government to halt the plans for the controversial planned Ilisu dam project. Ahead of the Kurdish Newroz celebrations, the London Green MEP has joined other politicians and organisations in demanding an end to the involvement of European governments, companies and banks in the dam project which will devastate the local environment and communities.

Situated 65 km from the border to neighbouring countries Iraq and Syria, its development will create a gigantic reservoir in the Kurdish regions of Southeast Turkey. Around 400 sq km of the as yet largely free-flowing Tigris river and its confluents will be gravely damaged or destroyed.

Jean Lambert stated:

“If the Ilisu dam is built on the river Tigris in Southeast Anatolia it will displace up to 78,000 people creating social upheaval and submerging the historic town of Hasankey forever. It will also cause serious environmental pollution, health problems and curtail the downstream flow of water to Iraq and Syria.

“The dam is intended to produce hydro-electric power to cover the electricity shortages in Turkey, but there are other ways to meet this need, without destroying the people’s lives and the environment.”

“This project has many fundamental flaws and faces strong opposition in the region. There has been a lack of public participation, a shortage of resettlement land and a total failure to protect cultural heritage. If the plan goes ahead it will also cause vast and unacceptable environmental destruction.

“There are 150 conditions attached to the export credit guarantee contracts that are enabling this development, yet none of these have been fulfilled since the contracts were awarded in March 2007. Reports also show that basic information on cultural goods, flora and fauna are still missing. This alone is a severe breach of international standards.

“This project would never have been allowed to go ahead in any European country and European governments should never have supported it. Now it is time for them to accept its failure and stop supporting this development.”

Notes to editors

 

Jean Lambert MEP has signed an appeal in the European Parliament calling for: 

The Government of Turkey to cancel its plans to build the Ilisu dam and develop a truly participatory sustainable development plan for the region instead

 

The Governments of Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the chief executives of Société Générale, Bank Austria Creditanstalt / Unicredit and DekaBank and the chief executives of Andritz, Zueblin, Alstom, Colenco, Stucky and Maggia to acknowledge that the project does not meet crucial international standards despite of the 150 conditions attached to the export credit guarantees, and to withdraw from the project, as conditions have grossly been violated until now by the Turkish officials.

 

News type: Press Releases