Monday, October 30, 2006

Sharing the Tigris River: Iraq Worried about Turkish Dam - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

"Iraq Worried about Turkish Dam

The Ilisu Dam will, when it's finished, provide hydroelectric power in south-eastern Turkey. Iraq, though, is worried it may also cut flows of the vital Tigris River.

Officials in Iraq are angered by Turkish plans to construct a gigantic dam on the river Tigris in southeast Turkey, near the Iraqi border. The so-called Ilisu Dam's 300 square kilometer reservoir would be a significant source of hydroelectric power, and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at an opening ceremony on Aug. 5 that it 'will bring big gains to the local people.' But in Iraq, health officials are concerned that these gains will come at the expense of their own people."

More:Sharing the Tigris River: Iraq Worried about Turkish Dam - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News