ABSTRACT
The Ilısu-Dam is part of the South-Eastern Anatolia Project (Turkish: Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi (GAP)) in Southeast Turkey. GAP is one of the most comprehensive infrastructural projects worldwide, stretching upon 75,000 km2, about 9.7% of the Turkish territory. The GAP currently is composed of 22 dams and 19 hydraulic power plants and irrigation networks. The stated aims of the project are to improve income levels and quality of life of people living in the region, to reduce regional disparities in Turkey and to contribute to the country’s economic and social development.
The Ilısu Dam is a planned project that intends to dam the water of the Tigris River, which forms a short border with Syria before flowing into Iraq . The government of Turkey claims that the purpose of the dam is electricity generation. It is estimated that the Ilısu Dam would contribute more than 3800 GWh to the power generation of GAP, making up 16% of the GAP generation and 3.2% of Turkey’s overall electricity.
However, this project is associated with many controversies, as the nation frames the project differently than other stakeholders, such as the Syrian and Iraqi governments, the Kurdish population, national and international NGOs, and many more. This chapter therefore aims to reveal alternate perspectives on the international, socio-cultural and environmental issues associated with the construction of the Ilısu Dam in Turkey, and how these perspectives can reveal or obscure certain issues over others. This paper also examines possible outcomes and consequences of the state's framing of the dam. These unconsidered consequences can be referred to as the ‘boomerang effect’.
