Turkey’s Environment Minister lashed out at some critics who disapprove of the ministry’s plans to build dams on historically significant sites like Allianoi and Hasankeyf.
Minister Veysel Eroğlu defended the idea that the dam projects will be beneficial to those regions and asserted that those who criticize the projects do not hold good intentions. “Some people are critical even though they should be appreciative. Nobody but us does anything for those areas, but we are still being targeted,” he said yesterday in Ankara as quoted by the Anatolia news agency.
The minister also claimed that there is no definite historical evidence that there is an antique city called Allianoi and that the area is known as “Paşa Ilıcası” in Turkish or “Pasha Spa.” Eroğlu demanded that the Higher Education Board (YÖK) conduct research about the issue.
“No matter what YÖK finds, Allianoi or Paşa Ilıcası, we don’t care. We are making an effort to protect it. Some others just talk. They don’t do anything,” he said. “There are historical artifacts, a column and a fountain, things that can be found everywhere. If we did not discover them, nobody would know. Even though it is our duty to construct a dam there, we did everything to protect the historical remains.”
He also said that the dam will generate 55 million TL in yearly revenue and the villagers have already lost 175 million TL because of the delay in building the dam.
Civil society activists frequently speak up about the issue. A group of environmental activists recently chained themselves to a crane in Allianoi, the world’s oldest known spa settlement, which is at risk of being submerged under water following the construction of a nearby dam.
Regarding Hasankeyf, Eroğlu said the Ilısu dam is an opportunity for the region.
But civil society holds completely opposite views about the construction of a dam in Hasankeyf, which is under threat of being submerged because of the construction of Ilısu Dam on the Tigris River. Hasankeyf is the only place in the world that meets nine out of the 10 criteria to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, according to respected scientists.
The Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive based in Batman, issued a press release on Oct. 19 saying that individuals and organizations from different parts of the world and Turkey, met on Oct. 11-17 by the Tigris River for the Hasankeyf Solidarity Camp to speak out against the Ilısu Dam project.