Turkey’s plan to redirect river sparks controversy
The Kura river, which originates in Turkey and flows into the
Caspian Sea, crossing Georgia and Azerbaijan, will be diverted to
the Black Sea, Turkish Environment Minister Veysel Eroglu was
quoted by the local media as saying.
The minister said "the Kura’s water is ours and we can make it flow wherever we want to". He said the Kura will flow into the Chorukh river that converges with the Black Sea, which will serve three purposes. "We will thus irrigate arable land, generate and sell electric power and prevent floods."
Eroglu’s statement has sparked controversy at home. Muzeyyan Ciftci Yolacan, a lawyer, said the Kura’s water is needed for crops in Turkey, the two countries crossed by the river and the Caspian.
"This decision is unlikely to pass either domestically or internationally, because the Kura river belongs to the region. The great role it plays in environmental changes should not be forgotten, either."
According to the lawyer, the decision to divert the Kura could trigger an international row and could even cause legal action. "Therefore, this should be opposed by everyone, including environmentalists."
Kura is the biggest river in the Caucasus entering the Caspian Sea. Starting in north-eastern Turkey, the 1,515 kilometer long river flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Araz River. The Kura’s length is 200 km in Turkey, 335 km in Georgia and 980 km in Azerbaijan. The increasing human use, and eventual damage, of the watershed’s forests and grasslands contributed to a rising intensity of floods through the 20th century.
The Kura has extensive potential for electric power generation. Several hydro-power plants have been built on the river both in Georgia and Azerbaijan. Its water is broadly used for irrigation.*
The minister said "the Kura’s water is ours and we can make it flow wherever we want to". He said the Kura will flow into the Chorukh river that converges with the Black Sea, which will serve three purposes. "We will thus irrigate arable land, generate and sell electric power and prevent floods."
Eroglu’s statement has sparked controversy at home. Muzeyyan Ciftci Yolacan, a lawyer, said the Kura’s water is needed for crops in Turkey, the two countries crossed by the river and the Caspian.
"This decision is unlikely to pass either domestically or internationally, because the Kura river belongs to the region. The great role it plays in environmental changes should not be forgotten, either."
According to the lawyer, the decision to divert the Kura could trigger an international row and could even cause legal action. "Therefore, this should be opposed by everyone, including environmentalists."
Kura is the biggest river in the Caucasus entering the Caspian Sea. Starting in north-eastern Turkey, the 1,515 kilometer long river flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Araz River. The Kura’s length is 200 km in Turkey, 335 km in Georgia and 980 km in Azerbaijan. The increasing human use, and eventual damage, of the watershed’s forests and grasslands contributed to a rising intensity of floods through the 20th century.
The Kura has extensive potential for electric power generation. Several hydro-power plants have been built on the river both in Georgia and Azerbaijan. Its water is broadly used for irrigation.*
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