Ministry grants positive EIA report for a dam to be built in forest in Bodrum

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The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has issued a positive environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for a planned dam in Bodrum, a popular holiday resort in the western Muğla province.

According to the EIA file submitted to the ministry, 78 percent of the area where the dam is planned to be built is forested and 11 percent is agricultural land. The dam won't have a negative impact on these areas, said the report.

The dam will provide drinking water for the district of Milas, Bodrum and Yatağan, according to the report.

The dam site is within the ministry's no.83 protection area. After the completion of the dam, the area will be afforested, said the ministry.

Five quarries and other facilities required for the dam construction will occupy an area of over one million square meters in total, the report noted.

Legal action by environmental groups

The Muğla Environmental Platform has announced that it will file a lawsuit demanding the stay of the project.

Locals and environmental groups have protested against the planned dam, which they say will damage agriculture in nearby villages and red pine forests.

The dam will also cause water depletion in the Kocaçay stream and surrounding areas, according to the Water Working Group.

Meanwhile, the occupancy rate near the dams in Bodrum dropped due to low precipitation. The occupancy rate in the Mucular dam was below 10 percent in September. After heavy rainfall that caused floods in Bodrum in December, it rose to over 20 percent. (TP/VK)