Last Call for Hasankeyf and Tigris Valley

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Hasankeyf Coordination has held a statement for the press about the ancient city of Hasankeyf and the Tigris Valley, which are soon to be entirely engulfed by the Ilısu Dam.

Meeting in the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Chamber of Mechanical Engineers İstanbul Office yesterday (February 13), the Coordination expressed their last warning about the impending destruction of the ancient city and its surrounding area as the water reservoir of the dam has been constantly growing.

'Hasankeyf must continue living'

Taking the floor first in the meeting, Prof. Beyza Üstün from the Peoples' Democratic Congress (DTK) read out the statement for the press on behalf of Hasankeyf Coordination. Entitled "The Last Call for Hasankeyf and Tigris Valley", the statement highlighted the following points:

"As the gates of the dam, which must not be closed, started to be closed in July 2019, Tigris River and Tigris Valley, which are living beings, have started to be destroyed. As no warnings were made about the closure of the gates, several people suffered and as the rising waters reached villages, several inhabitants had to emigrate without even taking their possessions with them. One person died by drowning in the dam reservoir.

"As four new settlements have been built by the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) for the 80 villages to be completely engulfed and 124 villages to be partly engulfed, tens of thousands of people have started to emigrate to Siirt, Batman, Diyarbakır and other big cities with the meagre compensation that they could receive. Over ten thousand "landless" people have been emigrating without any compensation at all.

'Stop the project of destruction immediately'

"When we look at all areas of destruction and devastation, new settlements have been built in only a few of the 80 villages left homeless, only 7 of thousands of historical artefacts have been relocated, of 289 mounds, only the Hasankeyf Mound has been covered with concrete, only a few nesting areas have been formed for hundreds of endemic species facing extinction.

"The waters are rising and the dam reservoir is destroying everything on its way. This dam is a dam that will keep on destroying all through its lifetime. That is why we are calling on to all authorities. There is still a chance to correct this mistake. This project of destruction must be stopped immediately, the gates of the dam must be opened in a controlled manner and the reservoir must be removed. Tigris River must flow freely, the Ancient Hasankeyf city must continue living.

Tanrıkulu: 12,000-year history being destroyed

After the statement for the press was read out, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu also made a brief statement and expressed his concerns about the ancient city of Hasankeyf and its surrounding Tigris Valley.

"Hasankeyf will be engulfed as of February 20, but we are unfortunately just a handful of people here", said the MP and added: "Hasankeyf is a history of 12,000 years and this history is being destroyed for the sake of an energy that has only a 50-year economic prize. For some reason, Turkey has not raised its voice for the region so far."

Gülüm: It is not late for Hasankeyf

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Züleyha Gülüm took the floor after Tanrıkulu and stated the following in brief:

"We are going through a process when the nature, humanity, history and culture are being destroyed and it is not limited to Hasankeyf. With Canal İstanbul project, with the projects in the Black Sea, with the projects in the Mount Ida, namely all across the country, we are faced with destruction.

"Yes, this project is a very old one, it was drafted by previous governments, but its realization and implementation despite so many open objections have gained pace during the current government's rule.

"Unfortunately, we cannot raise a strong voice. We need to stop and look to ourselves. We are having problems in laying claim to it collectively. Those who raise their voices for the Black Sea do not do the same for Hasankeyf, the ones who raise their voices for Hasankeyf do not do the same for the Mount Ida. Today, some part of it has been engulfed but it is not too late." (EK/ASK/EMK)