SUHAM AKMAN

Sêrt –Zorava Stream is one of the natural beauties of Siirt province. In 2015, a Hydroelectric Power Plant (HEPP) was built on the Zorava Stream which passes through the Kuşdalı (Şavura) village of the Eruh district of Siirt. After six years, a new hydroelectric power plant project is planned to be built on the stream.

First power plant destroys the nature

The destruction caused by the first hydroelectric power plant built on the one reach of the Zorava Stream can be seen in the region. The power plant didn’t only destroy nature but also people’s trust in the legal system. The people living in the region began legal action against the construction of the first power plant; however, the court ruled against them.

Villagers applied to the court to stop the construction of a second power plant

An agreement for the construction of the second power plant was signed on 21 March 2019 between the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) and Tigris Energy Generation to proceed with the project. Villagers applied to the Siirt Administrative Court twice to halt the project as they noted that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the project had not been prepared appropriately; however, the court ruled against them. Later, the Council of State did not approve the EIA report and decided that there was an error in the report and that an expert should be appointed to analyze the report. Some parts of the EIA report were changed and if the governor approves the report, the second power plant will be built.

Zorava Stream is one of the corners of paradise

Zorava Stream is also knowns as one of the corners of paradise by local people. Many people visit the stream because of its beauty. The villagers formed a platform named “The Platform to Save Zorava” to struggle against the power plant project. NGOs and nature lovers in the region are also against the construction of the second power plant on the stream.

“Nature deserves respect”

“Nature deserves respect,” said Sabriye Kurt, a villager of the Kuşdalı village. She told us that the construction of the power plant will affect everything and everyone living in the region. “We don’t want to be forced to leave our villages again,” she said.

The Platform to Save Zorava: 15 villages will be affected by the power plant

The Platform to Save Zorava has launched an online campaign under the hashtag #ZoravayaDokunma (#SaveZorava). The platform has issued statements about the irreversible damage to the environment. “15 villages will be affected if the second power plant is built,” the platform said in the statements.