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The Atatürk Dam in the Context of the Southeastern Anatolia (GAP) Project

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Impacts of Large Dams: A Global Assessment

Part of the book series: Water Resources Development and Management ((WRDM))

Abstract

The Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey has historically been a plateau with low productivity. Although rich in water, land and human resources, the region has lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of development. The development potential of both the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers was recognised in the 1960s, and the idea of harnessing their waters for irrigation and hydropower generation emerged.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The DSI is responsible for planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of dams, pumping stations and canals for water supply of large cities, large-scale irrigation systems and hydropower production in Turkey. It is headquartered in Ankara and has several regional directorates in the rest of the country.

  2. 2.

    The Plan incorporated numerous comments that were received during Phase I of the Completion Report.

  3. 3.

    T. Hashimoto, Director General of Nippon Koei, was a key figure during the preparation of the GAP Master Plan.

  4. 4.

    Article 1 of Law no. 388 of 6 November 1989 stated that the Southeastern Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration was a juridical entity, affiliated to the Prime Minister’s Office and had a duration of 15 years. The Administration would provide, or would organise the provision of, services related to planning, infrastructure, licenses, housing, industry, mining, energy and transport, in order to ensure a rapid development of the region under the Southeastern Anatolia Project. It would take actions, or would organise that actions were taken, to improve the educational level of the local population, and would ensure coordination among the relevant agencies and organisations.

  5. 5.

    The Southeastern Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration has its headquarters in Ankara and a Regional Directorate in Sanliurfa.

  6. 6.

    According to Aksit and Akcay (1997), the GAP Region does not necessarily denote a uniform and distinct social structure nor does it display a cultural uniformity. It simply refers to a group of provinces included in the area of the Southeastern Anatolia Project.

  7. 7.

    NUTS is the name of the statistical region classification used in the European Union. NUTS classification, developed by Eurostat, establishes the framework for regional development policies, collection of regional data, and creation of a comparable statistical database harmonised with the European Union regional statistics system. Regions are classified as NUTS I, II and III depending on their population. Turkey aligned itself with the NUTS classification system in 2002. The country has 12 NUTS I, 26 NUTS II, and 81 NUTS III regions.

  8. 8.

    All figures in brackets refer to the reservoir area.

  9. 9.

    Pöyry Energy Ltd, www.poyry.com, accessed on 30 March 2010, and General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, DSI, www.dsi.gov.tr/baraj/, accessed on 30 March 2010.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey

    Dogan Altinbilek

  2. International Centre for Water and Environment, Zaragoza, Spain

    Cecilia Tortajada

  3. Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, Singapore

    Cecilia Tortajada

  4. Third World Centre for Water Management, Atizapan, Mexico

    Cecilia Tortajada

Authors
  1. Dogan Altinbilek
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  2. Cecilia Tortajada
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Third World Centre for Water Management, Avenida Manantial Oriente 27, Los Clubes, Atizapan, 52958, Mexico

    Cecilia Tortajada

  2. Fac. Engineering, Dept. Civil Engineering, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, 06531, Turkey

    Dogan Altinbilek

  3. Third World Centre for Water Management, Avenida Manantial Oriente 27, Los Clubes, Atizapan, 52958, Mexico

    Asit K. Biswas

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Altinbilek, D., Tortajada, C. (2012). The Atatürk Dam in the Context of the Southeastern Anatolia (GAP) Project. In: Tortajada, C., Altinbilek, D., Biswas, A. (eds) Impacts of Large Dams: A Global Assessment. Water Resources Development and Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23571-9_8

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