The construction of the Ilisu Dam on the Tigris river is now fully operational, drowning vast parts of the Tigris Valley in Batman Province, eastern Turkey.
In addition to the destruction of nature and historical sites such as Hasankeyf, dating back to 1800 B.C., the predominantly Kurdish population is being relocated into the industrial city of Batman.
Farmers, fishermen and families that have lived with the river’s natural flow for generations are being forced to give up their homes and agricultural lifestyle to make way for the country’s need for electricity and irrigation. Long standing political disharmony between the Turkish majority to the North and West and the Kurds to the South and East means that Turkey wins in numerous ways at the expense of Kurdistan – whilst harvesting electricity for the mainly Turkish population centres outside of Kurdistan, creating an agribusiness – ready valley for international investors, blocking water supplies to much of Kurdistan and forcing people out of their homeland, Ankara is lining up for a major victory against Kurdistan whose population has been demonised throughout the country since its incorporation into Turkey after World War I.
