A media release from the Turkish group Doga Dernegi states, “The Turkish State Council ruled on January 7 in favour of the legal case filed by the Chamber of Architects and Engineers against the construction of the Ilisu dam project, ordering an immediate halt to the controversial dam construction in southeast Turkey. The Council of State concluded that the Ilisu dam construction on the Tigris River, proceeding without the legally required Environmental Impact Assessment, goes against Turkish Environment law and EIA regulations.”
“The massive dam being constructed on the Tigris River has drawn international controversy because it will flood the ancient city of Hasankeyf whose history stretches back over 12,000 years. It is an area that meets nine out of 10 UNESCO criteria for World Heritage status, but the government is refusing to nominate the site and guarantee its protection because it would stand in the way of plans for the Ilisu dam.”
“The government can object to the State Council’s ruling within seven days. Alternatively, the government may again choose to pass new legislation to override the court’s ruling.”
To read the media release, please go to http://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/controversial-ilisu-dam-on-hasankeyf-halted-by-turkish-court-7787. To learn more about Doga Dernegi, go to http://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/national/turkey/index.html. To read the Blue Planet Project/ Council of Canadians ‘ACTION ALERT: Protect Mesopotamia from the Ilisu Dam’ (April 2012), go to http://canadians.org/blog/?p=14806.
