MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Amed (Diyarbakır) -The construction of the Silvan Dam has turned the Gelîye Godernê valley into an area of ecocide. Despite all the protests and calls against the dam, it has negatively affected life in the region; hundreds of trees have been cut down and dynamites have been used by the construction company to build a bridge.

The valley is disappearing

During the construction of the dam, which will submerge 50 villages in Amed’s Kulp, Silvan and Hazro district, the historical Taşköprü was damaged. Since last summer, village guards have cut down hundreds of trees in the region as the construction of the bridge in the valley continues. During the construction of the bridge, dynamites were used to detonate stones in the valley and the Taşköprü connecting Kulp and Hazro was closed to traffic.

In the past few days, the members of the Labor and Democracy Platform wanted to go to the valley to protest the ecocide; however, they were stopped by soldiers. Environmental activists call on everyone to unite to protect the valley.

‘Nature is just a field of exploitation for them’

“A male-dominant management system is maintained throughout Turkey in partnership with companies and other countries. Nature is just a field of exploitation for them,” said Leyla Çite, member of the Ecology Association. “We see nature as a whole of life. In our region, the dimension of ecocide is much more severe. The struggle against ecocide in our region is criminalized. Until now, we have held many protests against the Silvan dam. The construction of the dam continues although we have protested it for 12 years. A crime against humanity and nature has been committed in the valley.”

‘The dam poses a threat to all living creatures’

The dam poses a threat to all living creatures, emphasized Leyla Çite. “When operational, the dam will change the climate of the region. It will not only affect the region but also the whole country. It will displace thousands of villagers. A policy of depopulation has been carried out in the region.”

‘Here is a crime scene’

According to Melis Tantan, member of the Climate and Justice Commission, a systematic policy of destruction has been implemented in Kurdistan. “The only solution against total attacks is peace. This dam project is a project aimed at destroying all living creatures in this valley. This project is not the first or last project in Kurdistan. They claim that they build dams for ‘security’. Without peace, we can stop neither this ecological destruction nor the policies aiming at displacing people. Here is a crime scene of both ecocide and genocide. We call on everyone to be in solidarity with us and raise our voice against this ecocide and genocide. Peace and common struggle is the only solution against this policy of plunder.”