ICOLD members - Turkey

General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI)

Ankara - Turkey

Response to the Final Report of World Commission on Dams

Introduction

The report, "Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making", prepared by the World Commission on Dams (WCD), by using the results obtained from analysis of case studies, countries’ reviews and cross-check survey of 125 existing dams all around the world, recognizes that the benefit of dams are "considerable." However, it highlights the need to reconsider the management of freshwater resources in the context of developmental objectives. It calls for "cooperation in reconciling competing needs," and urges dam developers, governments, non-governmental organizations, and affected people to find ways of sharing the benefits of water resources equitably and sustainably.

Among its recommendations are that alternatives to dams should always be sought. Public acceptance from displaced communities is essential, which implies that compensation schemes must become the norm. Assessment of environmental impact must not be a formality. And co-operation must be sought between countries where rivers flow across national boundaries.

Although the report gives a new framework for decision-making, it is worried that there were some prejudices in the preparation process. Considering the whole content of the report in general, we would find out the following impressions for the report:

• It is clear that the overall approach is negative concerning the role of dams, generalizing adverse aspects, unsatisfactory social and economic benefits.
• Some statements are based on inadequately researched data.
• Alternatives to large dams recommended by the Report as 'near-term solutions' are qualitatively interesting, but are not realistic on an adequate scale to meet the needs of an extra 3 billion people by the year 2050. In addition to this, the social and ecological impacts of these suggested alternatives are not discussed for comparison.

45 000 large dams in over 140 countries have been commissioned. All over the world, dams in the first category are for irrigation. 50 % of the large dams were built exclusively or primarily for irrigation. Hydropower currently provides 19 % of world's total electricity supply and is used in over 150 countries. It represents more than 90 % of the total national electricity supply in 24 countries and over 50 % in 63 countries. Globally 12 % of large dams are designated as water supply dams.

In the report there is a tendency of avoiding to imply any explicit figures for above benefits of dams while the estimated figure of total investment in large dams worldwide is expressed as more than $ 2 trillion.

About General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI)

The General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works is the primary executive state agency of Turkey for Nation'soverall water resources planning, managing, execution and operation. The DSI's purpose "to develop water and land resources in Turkey" covers a wide range of interrelated functions. These include irrigation, hydroelectric power generation; domestic and industrial water supplies for large cities; recreation and research on water-related planning, design and construction materials.

DSI's Comments on The Report

In general view WCD's analysis gave particular attention to understanding the reasons why, how and where dams did not achieve their intended outcome or indeed produced unanticipated outcomes that explain the issues underlying the dams debate. However, it is understood that the report is focused on negative performances of dams without including any overlook on the substantial benefits derived from dams.

In general, the report of WCD is intentionally assessing the negative aspects of the large dams, with prejudices against the large dam projects all around the world. In this regard, it was also argued that, being out of its basic function, the Commission unnecessarily is trying to discuss the other matters such as transboundary rivers, etc. In addition to this, it was another issue of the critique that, while the countries being in the leading positions of the process have developed their water resources with about the level of 100%, the prejudiced findings of the report may probably prevent the water resources development project planned by the developing countries, such as India, Turkey, with the development level of 30%, and China.

The main issue was that the preparation of the report lacks of the objective criteria. In this respect, while the report keeps the negative approach against the dams since their unexpected effects on the surrounding environment, it is a wrongly and unbalanced approach that the alternative solutions are not seen in the report. On the other hand, there are some uncertainties and suspicions that the leading agencies and investors in the sector of nuclear energy and thermal energy using the sources must have influenced the preparation process of the report.

One of the main messages of WCD report provides overwhelming support that, many dams are lack of equity in the distribution of benefits in meeting water and energy development needs when compared with the alternatives and negotiation outcomes will greatly improve development effectiveness on the projects by eliminating unfavorable projects.

Despite all considerations in the feasibility studies, some local problems such as lack of equity in the distribution of benefits of the project can not be avoided in the surrounding area of a dam. However, it is essential that benefits of water resources development projects always be evaluated in aspect of micro-economy of the country other then local basis.

According to the results obtained from WCD analysis on large dams’ performances, it is concluded that large dams, with a considerable portion, are falling short of physical and economic targets in irrigation and energy generation services. Additionally they have demonstrated a marked tendency towards schedule delays and significant cost overruns, they have negative impacts more than positive on rivers, watersheds and aquatic ecosystems.

However it is fact that at the planning stage of water resources development projects, technically feasible alternatives satisfying the need are subjected to economic feasibility to analyze benefit and cost. Beside these, evaluation of social and environmental impacts is an important step of finding optimum alternative in planning process. In Turkey, sociological, ecological and cultural impacts on the surrounding area are considered carefully in the context of Environmental Impact Assessment studies and a plan which will have a minimum of detrimental effects is integrated into the feasibility study of dam project and necessary precautions are taken by making close collaboration between relevant institutions and organizations accordingly.

In the report Under the title of "Cultural Heritage", it has been implied that "Despite the established potential for significant and often irreversible losses of cultural resources due to dam construction, cultural heritage management is still not adequately considered in the planning process. Turkey, for example, only 25 of 298 existing dam projects have been surveyed for cultural heritage and of these only five have had systematic rescue work conducted".

Regarding to the issue of the cultural heritage under the reservoir area, preliminary studies have been completed for 25 dams in Turkey until now. As a result of these studies it has been determined that the conservation of documentation and systematic rescue studies have to be done only for 5 dams. The related activities for some of them have already completed and for some still going on.

For instance, in order to rescue the archeological heritage that will inundate under the Il1su dam reservoir, which is under construction in South Eastern region of Turkey, within the framework of protocol signed between the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works and Middle East Technical University Center for Investigation of Historical Environmental Heritage in 1998 to make archeological studies in the dam reservoir area an its close surrounding. According to this project it is planned to preserve some of the archeological heritage on-site if possible, to transfer the movable ones to suitable sites and to document the ones that cannot be moved and by this way to transfer knowledge about this heritage to the word and new generation.

For this project to be implemented, DS0 provided financial support of 39,5 billion TL in 1998, 200 billion TL in 1999 and 385 billion TL in 2000. Consequently, the “integrated conservation principle “, based on the conservation by documentation during the implementation of a project that has public benefit, of the “European Convention on the Protection of Archeological Heritage”, signed by many countries including Turkey, was taken into consideration.

In the report it is emphasized that the direct benefits provided by dams to people are typically reduced to monetary figures for economic analysis and simply accounting for these direct benefit often fails to capture the full social benefits associated with water resources development project. In this respect, according to the findings and lessons regarding to social performance of large dams, 40-80 million people were physically displaced by dams worldwide, many of the displaced were not recognized and therefore were not resettled or compensated, and compensation provided was inadequate etc.

Resettlements takes place in many cases of constructions of dams, which are a most important elements for development of socio-economic life of people, who have lived in a region for long time to live their homes and any other immovable properties, their place in society, economic and agricultural activities, relationships and opportunities to live in other places.

In Turkey, involuntary resettlement is regulated by two main laws: i) The Expropriation Law, ii) The Resettlement Law. Public agency who executes expropriation carries full responsibility for the task, and expropriation is solely undertaken for public benefit. It is necessary to create satisfactory policies and procedures in order to eliminate the adverse effects of relocation and resettlement both on people and the national economy. These affects are not only economic, but social, cultural, psychological and environmental as well. For this reason the approach resettlement concepts should deal with these issues in an integrated manner. To ensure that resettlement takes place in a well-planned way, and to minimize its adverse effects, it is necessary for people, NGOs and institutions who run the country and make decisions to define their goal, policies and strategies for resettlement and rehabilitation.

From the experience obtained on the previous projects, it has been found that around 25 % of the affected families choose government-assisted resettlement. The remaining 75 % of affected families prefer self-resettlement rather than government resettlement because they receive sufficient expropriation compensation to affording their own resettlement cost.

It is fact that developing nations of the world are mostly located in arid and semi-arid areas. Water shortages, drought and occasional floods have regularly created serious problems for those countries. Rapidly increasing population of these countries has made development of water resources a top priority. However, green movement flourished in developed countries which had completed development process, launched some campaigns.

The report of the world commission on dams indicates that large dams generally have extensive impacts on rivers, watersheds , aquatic ecosystems and also large dams has had serious and lasting effects on the lives. The report also says that a number of countries, particularly the United States, are making efforts to restore ecosystem function and native fish populations by decommissioning large and small dams.

This is the important message and what is equally important is the timing of the message. The message comes after completion of the development of water resources of the developed countries and while the under-developing countries start to do something.

It is another fact that the developed countries use some institutions, universities or organizations of the developing countries as tools. Sometimes they organize new institutions under the umbrella of United Nations or some other international organizations. So, it seems that they have some intentions to use the under-developed countries against under-developed countries.

Dams are very important for Turkey because, they aren’t only contributing to the wealth and health of the people, they are also considered as the best means of repairing the destructions made by the uncontrolled water power on earth. Destructions by the uncontrolled water power are not only to the lands or the plants, but also to the people around there, to the climate, to the wildlife, in summary to the whole nature. If they are not properly controlled, they create social and economic disasters.

On the other hand, Turkey has been badly suffering from the long lasting draughts. We have lost our forests, our vegetation and most of our wildlife habitat, mostly because of the land erosions created by our uncontrolled rivers.

Under the title of "Downstream Livelihoods", the report indicates that downstream communities face some impacts of large dams. This is an disputatious fact and needs further explanation as following: Dams, in particular the energy producing dams, are releasing regulated water to the downstream, preventing flood hazards and avoiding the dry riverbeds in dry seasons or periods. So, it is not against the downstream people or countries, it is to their benefit too.

An example, in this regard, could be given for the Africa where the development of hydroelectric potential in Africa is estimated as 1 000 000 MW of known exploitable hydroelectricity potential. However the present total installed capacity in Africa is only 1.2 percent. 54 African countries produce 53 billion kWh. By comparison Switzerland produces 37 billion kWh, USA 310 billion kWh which is six times than Africa. On the other hand, by 1975, all western nations have exploited most of the their river basins for hydroelectricity generation.

Moreover, hydro-energy is one of the cleanest energies so far. All dams are best places for recreations. Dams provide food to the people by irrigating the arid lands and by fisheries. Dams provide waterways for communications and transport.

It is also well-known fact that most of earth's remaining bio diversity and wild life, terrestrial and aquatic, is located in poor countries due to the much less use of fresh-water resources in those countries.

The benefits of large dams are stated itself by World Bank Report, namely "The World Bank’s Experience With Large Dams: A Preliminary Review of Impacts”, indicating that, without the exploitation of rivers, the world would be a much different place, and would be able to support fewer viable human settlements. Life for many people in the great river basins of the world would be a cycle of drought, floods and famines.

In the report, with regard to the issue of planning and evaluation, the insufficient application of economic cost-benefit analysis have been frequently implied. It can be gladly mentioned herewith that DSI's capabilities have evolved significantly to more fairly assess the costs and benefits of hydropower, while attempting to balance all the benefits of freshwater resources.

The hydro industry in the country has worked diligently over the past years to reach out to water resource stakeholders to engage them in collaborative decision-making processes regarding optimal use of water resources. We've demonstrated that collaboration helps facilitate sound planning for future energy production while providing an effective means for early implementation of environmental protection, mitigation, and enhancement

Need for the Dams

Development of Turkey´s remaining hydro potential, largely available in the developing countries where it is needed most, can play a substantial role in improving the quality of life, and has inherent environmental benefits in terms of avoided fossil fuel generation and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Many new dams are planned for this century to address the escalating water crisis in the world, and to provide cheap and renewable energy. Our organizations, DSI, will continue to work to ensure that these dams will be planned and constructed in an environmentally, socially and economically sound way.

Dialogue with all stakeholders of water resources development projects must certainly continue, and best practice must be encouraged. With regard to ensuring compliance as rather frequently suggested in the report, the proposed development of 'international legal recourse' may not be acceptable around the world, particularly in developing countries, where it could be regarded as interference in their development strategies.

Owing to considerable variations observed in the run-offs in terms of seasons and years, it is absolutely necessary on the major rivers in Turkey to have water storage in order to ensure the use of the water, when it is necessary. Consequently, for these reasons, priority has always been given to the construction of water storage facilities. Significant progress was registered in the construction of dams throughout last decades elapsed since the establishment of DSI.

The most of the dams projects have not only the purpose of economic benefits, but also, in these projects the socio-economic development of the local people is highly considered. In this respect, the dams projects would help prevent the mitigation to the cities, while giving them a high level of life standards in their native areas. Additionally, in the countries, such as Turkey, where the semi-arid climate is highly dominated, it is admitted as a need that building the reservoirs in order to use the water resources with an efficient manner, for the purpose of the economic development of the country, would be highly beneficial.

In order to meet the increasing demand, Turkey showing a rapid social and economic progress must produce, continuous high quality, reliable and economical electricity by taking into consideration all environmental effects. Development of projects by making use of the energy resources available in Turkey and making necessary investments for this purpose are therefore required. The local energy sources are hydro, mainly in the eastern part of the country and lignite. Turkey has a large potential for renewable energy sources.

As stressed in the previous sections, for the production of electrical energy, hydroelectric power plants, in comparison with fossil and nuclear fuel thermal, geothermal and natural gas power plants have two significant advantages as they can be used for peak operation as well as they are renewable. In terms of initial investment cost with the exception of natural gas power plants and in some special cases hydroelectric power plants are in a position to compete with other thermal and nuclear power plants. They are the most economically operated power plants causing very little damage to environment.

Turkey is now using 33 % of exploitable hydroelectric energy potential of 123 385 Gwh/year. This value will reach 45 % of total potential after completion of the projects under construction. Only the production of hydropower, which is more than 39 billion kWh/year, adds more than 27,7 % to our gross national product (GNP) each year. The monetary value of this amount is about 39 billion US dollars.

According to WCD study, considerable important part of annual fresh water withdrawals, as a percentage of total resources, corresponds to agricultural use in developing countries while the highest figure corresponds to industry in developed countries.

The majority of large dams are built for irrigation. The total economically irrigable area in Turkey is 8,5 million ha. In the last 50 years, 4,6 million ha of this area has been irrigated by single or multipurpose dams. Increase of productivity at considerably high rates (more than several hundred times in the last 20 years) has been realized and the total amount of GNP, due to irrigation in agriculture, has exceeded 25 billion US $ per year. This figure corresponds to 11,4 % of the total GNP of the country. Beside this considerable large quantity of production, irrigation provides direct and/or indirect job opportunities extensively. Roughly one third of total population of the country still live in the villages and irrigation is the unique job creation option for more than 22 million farmers. It also gives an acceleration to the industry, which is based on agricultural products. This will give the change to the country to balance the export & import trade.

So far in Turkey by means of the projects developed by DS0, domestic water is being supplied to 12 cities. More than 1/3 of the total population are receiving fresh and high quality of water directly from dam reservoirs. With the projects under construction, domestic water will be provided to 10 cities. In completion of the projects 1,113 billion m3 water will be provided. Finally at full development domestic water supply will reach to 2,77 billion m3 per year.

In Turkey dam construction is a vital and unavoidable program for the country. It is supported by all the political parties represented in the parliament. The dams and hydroelectric power plants are producing roughly 25 billion US $ agricultural and 39 billion US $ energy value into GNP each year The total amount is corresponding to 39,1 % of GNP. This program has improved living standards of all the population especially villagers. GNP has been increased from 166 US $ (1950) to 3224 US $ (1998).

GAP (South Anatolia Project):

An Example for the Socio-Economic Development at the Regional Scale

GAP is a human centered and integrated regional development project carried out along with the principle of sustainable human development. The development envisaged under the GAP has the goal of creating opportunities for the people of the region fully materialize their preferences and economic potentials.

The ultimate aim of GAP is to ensure sustainable human development in the region. Therefore it is a human centered development process. Physical structures which are now being built will be the basis of human development. The aim of sustainable development will be achieved by eliminating disparities, spreading welfare, ensuring community participation and developing human resources. The combination of economic growth targets with a human development perspective envisages the transformation of the projected social change into participatory solutions specific to the eco-system and cultural make-up of the region.

GAP has been an example of good water resources management. The components of the Project have being realised by implementing modern concepts of water management, environmental conservation and women participation. This is sincerely appreciated by various Government and UN related organisations.

Conclusion

The General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) is the primary executive state water agency which has been charged by law to develop all of water resources in the country. DSI puts into effect surface and ground water projects technically and economically feasible for utility.

Considering that the World Commission on Dam's report entitled, "Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision Making," provides a comprehensive and independent review of domestic and international dam development. Being as a diversified engineering, environmental, and management organization and working in the water and hydropower sector, DSI was disappointed with the whole coverage of the World Commission on Dam's report prepared with a partially approach against the water resources development activities all around the world.