A new drinking gourd for Bodrum: Akgedik
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 02, 2009 00:00
ANTALYA - Fourteen years after construction began, the Akgedik Dam in the western city of Muğla is finally storing water. This is a much awaited delight for Bodrum and Milas. Both districts will receive water from the dam.
Although construction on the Akgedik dam in the Milas region of Muğla began in 1995, only now has the reservoir behind it filled with water. The dam will provide 5 million cubic meters of Bodrum’s drinking water and agricultural irrigation for Milas per month.
The Aydõn Directorate of State Waterworks Authority, or DSI, had started building the Dam of Akgedik inside the borders of Yusufça and Kõrceğiz villages, where the Sarõçay River passes through, Jan 2, 1995. The river is fed with the famous Labranda water from the mountains of Turgut and Kürkümes.
The dam is 50 meters high from its foundations, with a capacity of 30 million cubic meters of water and was finished last month at a cost of 90 million Turkish liras.
The dam will irrigate 2,091 hectares of agricultural area in Milas that belong to the villages of Damlõboğaz, Yaşyer, Yusufça, Kõrcağõz, Savran and Avşar, while providing drinking water for Bodrum.
Vitalizing agriculture
Şahin Arslan, the local administrator of Milas, made an inspection at the dam alongside Ali Akay, the agriculture director of the region, Mustafa Yapõcõ, the technical manager of the dam and the village headmen.
Arslan said the dam, which has seen 10 changes of cabinets and energy and natural sources ministers during its construction, has been completed after work was accelerated in the last two years. Arslan said the dam would revitalize the region of Bodrum and Milas.
"Following the airport and the harbors as the most important projects in the area, Akgedik Dam is now operational," he said. "It will transform Milas and Bodrum into paradises and will hold the water that has been flowing nowhere all these years and end the water problem of Bodrum."
Arslan said the agricultural harvest of Milas Plain was expected to increase 300 percent and the struggling agriculture of the area would be revitalized. Ali Demirbaş, the headman of Yusufça Village, said they were happy to see their 14-year-old dreams come true.
Inverting immigration
"Our villagers refused no sacrifice for the construction of the dam," he said. "The well waters that had been used for irrigation of Milas Plain were getting saltier, reducing the harvest. The water that has been flowing for nothing all those years are being held now."
Demirbaş said they are expecting the bids for the waterways that will carry the water to the fields immediately. "The reduction in harvest due to water shortage had caused immigration," he said. "Nobody should suspect that the dam will invert the immigration. The dam became hope for the 20,000 farmers of the area."
Arslan ended his words by saying when the 4 million cubic meters of water being held at the Mumcular Dam of 19 million cubic water capacity is considered, Akgedik being operational will solve the drinking water problem of Bodrum.
Durmuş Ali Çelik, 80 years old resident of Kõrcağõz Village who is father of five and grandfather of eleven, said they are happy because their dreams for the dam became real.
"The water sources of Milas Plain would not be dry now, if a dam would be built 30 years ago," he added. "I have sold 70 acres of olive groves almost for free for the construction of the dam and the future of our children. So did other villagers because the water coming from Sarõçay was flowing into Güllük Gulf for nothing."
Çelik said geographical characteristics of the area have been changing in recent years ending olive and tobacco farming.
"However, Milas Plain has the most fertile land in Muğla," he said. "That is why we are so happy to witness the dam starting to hold water."
The Aydõn Directorate of State Waterworks Authority, or DSI, had started building the Dam of Akgedik inside the borders of Yusufça and Kõrceğiz villages, where the Sarõçay River passes through, Jan 2, 1995. The river is fed with the famous Labranda water from the mountains of Turgut and Kürkümes.
The dam is 50 meters high from its foundations, with a capacity of 30 million cubic meters of water and was finished last month at a cost of 90 million Turkish liras.
The dam will irrigate 2,091 hectares of agricultural area in Milas that belong to the villages of Damlõboğaz, Yaşyer, Yusufça, Kõrcağõz, Savran and Avşar, while providing drinking water for Bodrum.
Vitalizing agriculture
Şahin Arslan, the local administrator of Milas, made an inspection at the dam alongside Ali Akay, the agriculture director of the region, Mustafa Yapõcõ, the technical manager of the dam and the village headmen.
Arslan said the dam, which has seen 10 changes of cabinets and energy and natural sources ministers during its construction, has been completed after work was accelerated in the last two years. Arslan said the dam would revitalize the region of Bodrum and Milas.
"Following the airport and the harbors as the most important projects in the area, Akgedik Dam is now operational," he said. "It will transform Milas and Bodrum into paradises and will hold the water that has been flowing nowhere all these years and end the water problem of Bodrum."
Arslan said the agricultural harvest of Milas Plain was expected to increase 300 percent and the struggling agriculture of the area would be revitalized. Ali Demirbaş, the headman of Yusufça Village, said they were happy to see their 14-year-old dreams come true.
Inverting immigration
"Our villagers refused no sacrifice for the construction of the dam," he said. "The well waters that had been used for irrigation of Milas Plain were getting saltier, reducing the harvest. The water that has been flowing for nothing all those years are being held now."
Demirbaş said they are expecting the bids for the waterways that will carry the water to the fields immediately. "The reduction in harvest due to water shortage had caused immigration," he said. "Nobody should suspect that the dam will invert the immigration. The dam became hope for the 20,000 farmers of the area."
Arslan ended his words by saying when the 4 million cubic meters of water being held at the Mumcular Dam of 19 million cubic water capacity is considered, Akgedik being operational will solve the drinking water problem of Bodrum.
Durmuş Ali Çelik, 80 years old resident of Kõrcağõz Village who is father of five and grandfather of eleven, said they are happy because their dreams for the dam became real.
"The water sources of Milas Plain would not be dry now, if a dam would be built 30 years ago," he added. "I have sold 70 acres of olive groves almost for free for the construction of the dam and the future of our children. So did other villagers because the water coming from Sarõçay was flowing into Güllük Gulf for nothing."
Çelik said geographical characteristics of the area have been changing in recent years ending olive and tobacco farming.
"However, Milas Plain has the most fertile land in Muğla," he said. "That is why we are so happy to witness the dam starting to hold water."