A Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project is being planned by the Maya Energy Production Company on the Zorê River, located between the Sason district of Batman (Êlih) and the Pasur (Kulp) district of Diyarbakır (Amed). Although the legal process has been ongoing for nearly seven years and expert reports have consistently expressed opposition to the project, the company continues to insist on building the dam.
In the most recent phase of the lawsuit, the court replaced the original panel of experts and issued a ruling in favor of the company, granting approval for the HES project. Meanwhile, a petition submitted by the Environment and Urban Commission of the Diyarbakır Bar Association was rejected.
The case, initially concluded at the Second Administrative Court of Diyarbakır, has now been taken to the Council of State. Lawyers have described the process surrounding the proposed dam project as “unlawful and irregular,” while local residents have voiced their opposition with determination and stated: “We have no intention of abandoning the lands of our ancestors.”
People are being forced into displacement once again
The project, if implemented, will submerge not only dozens of villages but also farmlands and fruit orchards, forcing the local population to migrate.
In this region, where many villages were evacuated during military operations in the 1990s, farming and animal husbandry remain the main sources of livelihood. After years of displacement due to the burning of their villages, many residents returned and began rebuilding their lives. Today, they want their children to grow up on the same land where they rebuilt their homes and communities.
Villagers stressed that the project would destroy both their livelihoods and their living spaces, effectively forcing them into urban exile. They declared their determination to resist the project and defend their land.
The initial expert report was ignored
Ahmet İnan, Chair of the Environment and Urban Commission of Diyarbakır, shared details regarding the legal proceedings of the project and stated that the process has involved serious legal violations from the very beginning.
İnan recalled that the project had previously been halted with public support through a cancellation lawsuit filed by the bar associations of Batman and Diyarbakır, and continued: “This dam project will cause irreversible damage to nature. The court had ruled that since construction had not begun within seven years, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was no longer valid, and that the report as a whole was legally flawed.
Despite this, the company ignored the previous rulings and obtained a ‘revised EIA’ report. However, by law, a revised EIA can only be issued if the previous report is still valid. The court had already made it clear that the earlier report was legally invalid.
Even so, the company is once again attempting to push the project forward. The initial expert committee that visited the area submitted a report stating that the project would destroy approximately 4,000 decares of forestland and fertile farmland. It also noted that the region, known for producing some of the highest-quality honey, walnuts, and cherries in Turkey, would be severely affected.
Nevertheless, the Second Administrative Court of Diyarbakır decided that expert committee and ordered a new evaluation.”
Law must not be used to serve corrupt corporate interests
Ahmet İnan stated that the new expert report ignores the destruction of nature and living spaces: “A decision was made against us based on a report that lacks scientific grounding and disregards the will of both the people and nature.
We do not want the law to be instrumentalized in favor of corrupt corporate interests and unlawful practices. The Constitution and human rights are being blatantly violated. This is not only an issue for the local population, it concerns us all.”
We want our children to grow up on this land
Local residents voiced strong opposition to what they described as an unlawful and exploitative project, expressing their determination to prevent its implementation.
Mehmet Salih Aslan, from the village of Sindê, emphasized that he would not abandon his land:“These lands are the villagers’ only source of livelihood. If we lose them, what will we do here? Our grandfathers and fathers grew up on this land, and we want our children to grow up here too, just like them. We do not want a dam here. We do not want to migrate or be forced elsewhere.
This dam will destroy our homes, our gardens, and our farmland. With this dam, we will not be able to raise animals or plant crops. What more harm could it do to us? They will take everything from us. But we will do everything we can, and we will not abandon this land. We will continue to resist and exist on this soil where our fathers and ancestors once lived.”
They want to drive us into the cities
Another villager opposing the project, Hatice Çiçek, stated that the dam would damage not only their land but their lives as well: “We will suffer greatly if this dam is built. We absolutely do not want a dam here, and we will resist with everything we have. We survive here with a single fruit orchard, a single field. This river is not only the lifeline of this place, it is a water source for many areas. With this dam, we will lose both our water and our soil. They want to uproot us and push us into the cities. But we reject both this dam and this forced migration.
No one wants to forget their land or leave it behind. We do not want to relive the 1990s. We will stay and resist until our last tree, our last drop of water remains. We do not accept the destruction of our living spaces.”
This dam will bring us no benefit
Amine Çiçek, also from the same village, expressed her opposition to the dam project with the following words: “All we own is here. We are against this project because it will destroy our lives. We have lived here since the day we were born, we have never known any other place. And we do not want to go anywhere else. No matter how many years pass or what happens, we will stay here, on our own land.
They want to submerge all of Kurdistan’s land under water. But we do not want this. We want to be heard and understood. These dams are only meant to bring an end to this place. We cannot survive in the cities. Even a single tree here can provide for us for an entire year. That is why we will not leave. We will not hand over this land or this water to anyone. This dam will only make the people poorer while making the wealthy even richer. It will bring us no benefit at all.”
Source: ANF News
