A hydroelectric power project is planned for Zori Stream, which passes between Balbaşı (Herîvê) village in Batman’s (Elih) Sason district and Kayahan (Xweşika) in Diyarbakır’s (Amed) Kulp district in Turkey. The project threatens cultural and natural assets as well as the lives of the people in the region.
Maya Energy Production Company is due to construct the hydroelectric power project which will cover an area of 67,450 square metres. Within the scope of the project, an expropriation decision was taken for 95 parcels of land. The project was approved in the Provincial General Assembly through the votes of Justice and Development Party (AKP) members. Mesopotamia News Agency has reported that the governorship threatened the assembly members.
To stop the building of the dam, there has been an ongoing campaign on social media with the hashtag #ZoriÇayınaDokunma (Don’t Touch Zori Stream). Environmental organizations, ecology activists, and several people have participated in the campaign.
The people living in the region are also collecting signatures against the project. If the dam is built, the village of Hamzalı will be completely flooded, and approximately 1,500 people living there will be forced to migrate.
