Water Politics - case study on the South-Eastern Anatolian project and its consequences

Résumé du document

The GAP, Güneydogu Anadolu Projesi, is a multi sector-related and integrated regional development, based on the concept of sustainable development. It was launched in 1977 to enable the economic take off in Anatolia, one of the poorest regions of Turkey. It's one of the largest dam projects in the world, covering the Euphrates and Tigris basins and the Mesopotamia plains. The Turkish project was massive and included huge investments. Roughly thirty billion of dollars were used between 1977 and 1997. The original initiative consisted of irrigation and hydroelectric energy production projects on the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers, including the creation of several dams, hydro power plants, and irrigation schemes. The project will be finished in 2010, after the construction of almost 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric energy production projects. By this substantial project, Turkey wanted to improve the living conditions in Anatolia, to attract firms and companies, to favour agriculture, and to transform dramatically the way of life of the inhabitants. However, such a massive project, including important infrastructures, investments, constructions, has consequent effects and impacts on the economy, on the society, on the environment and also on the international relations. In what ways did the GAP project try to influence the international relations in the Middle East?

Extraits

[...] Water Politics: case study the South-Eastern Anatolian Project The GAP project and its consequences Introduction: The GAP “Güneydogu Anadolu Projesi”, (South-eastern Anatolian Project) is a multi sector-related and integrated regional development, based on the concept of sustainable development[1]. It was launched in 1977 to enable the economic take off of Anatolia, one of the poorest regions of Turkey. It's one of the largest dam projects in the world, covering km2, Euphrates and Tigris basins and Mesopotamia plains. The Turkish project was massive and included huge investments. [...]

[...] Habib Ayeb, l'eau au proche orient, la guerre n'aura pas lieu. Page 106 In the case study of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich: chronological summary of all the attempts concerning cooperation in the Euphrates and Tigris basins. Turkey concedes BCM/year but it's not a legal obligation, it's seen as an act of good neighbourliness and the agreement is not always kept such as during the inauguration of Ataturk dam in Habib Ayeb L'eau au proche orient: la guerre n'aura pas lieu page 112. [...]

[...] The rivers should be considered as one basin and in this way Syria will have the total downstream rights on Euphrates.[22] Iraq is the most dependant country essentially for agriculture. Its position concerning the legal status of the rivers (international status) is basically the same. Moreover, The Iraqi authorities regard the rivers as independent and want them to be shared independently from each other with more equality. In other words, Iraq wants the same right for the Euphrates and Tigris. What could be done to improve the situation? [...]

[...] Map of industrial development of Anatolia thanks to the gap (in http://www.gap.gov.tr/English/Genel/sdurum.pdf page Besides the positive aspects of the GAP project over the Kurdish situation, the project was far more cynical and had some negative consequences: the opponents of the project claimed that the main goal of Turkey was just to spread the resistant movement of the Kurds. The role of the Kurdistan Worker Party, called is very important. This organisation, sometimes claiming with violence political rights for the ethnic Kurdish population has been the main enemy of the Turkish government for decades. The Turkish government wants to eliminate terrorism and to resettle Kurdish population. Thanks to the GAP project Turkey is decreasing the efficiency of the PKK by spreading the Kurds. [...]

[...] http://www.gap.gov.tr/gap_en.php (official website of the GAP) http://www.gap.gov.tr/English/Genel/sdurum.pdf (report of June 2006 issue by the Republic of Turkey) http://fig-st-die.education.fr/actes/actes_2003/detapia/article.htm (French scholar's website from the French National Centre of Scientific Research: the GAP project in Turkey, domestic policy and geopolitics). http://fao.org and especially report concerning irrigation in the near east. http://www.un.org/ and especially report concerning international Rivers and Lakes issued in December 2000 prepared by the department for economic and social affairs (www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/water/rivers_lakes_news34.pdf) and the United Nations 1997b, convention on the law of the non navigational uses of international watercourses. http://www.undp.org/ and especially report concerning GAP sustainable development umbrella project. (www.undp.org.tr/gozlem2.aspx?WebSayfaNo=31). [...]