The two dams built to supply and receive water transferred from Anamur in south Turkey to Gecitkoy in the TRNC have been completed.
Initial works to divert the Anamur river in Anamur district, Mersin Province, began on 2nd November 2010 and construction of the Alakopru dam started in August 2012. The occupants of four villages in the area were re-housed as their homes would be submerged by the new dam. Meanwhile, the Gecitkoy dam in the TRNC was enlarged to cope with 75 million cubic of water per annum, which will be transported by undersea pipes from Mersin in Turkey.
The total cost of the project is expected to reach around TL 1 billion with the new water supply predicted to cover domestic and agricultural water requirements in North Cyprus for the next 50 years.
Official opening ceremonies will take place at a later date.
The ‘Project of the Century’ is not without its critics who say that other means of water sourcing should have been explored first. Recycling, conservation and desalination being the other options.
Environmentalists have pointed to the damage done by destroying countless olive trees to supply the stones to extend Gecitkoy dam. There also have been concerns raised by the environmental impact of the new dam constructed at Anamur. See featured item. Meanwhile, Turkey itself is suffering from drought conditions.
Officials say that the entire water supply infrastructure should be completed within the next three years.
