Yuvarlakcay River may be no more............

[CatsWhisker]

There will be a protest held in Yuvarlakcay on Saturday at 10:00am. The protest is against the construction of a hydroelectric power generating scheme that will in effect divert the stunningly beautiful river running through Yuvarlakcay. (where the fish farms and restaurants are). The river and surrounding area is one of outstanding natural beauty and supports a large range of fauna and flora throughout that area and the impact on the environment from this scheme will reach as far as Koycegiz lake.

The developers are due to start chopping trees down (many of them rare and mature) on Saturday morning
Representatives of environmental groups from many areas including Izmir and Istanbul will be attending the demonstration along with national media reporters, the local villagers and many Turkish and foreign groups.

Berna Babaoglu will be attending the protest and she has asked if we could let all FRG members know about this protest and all are welcome.
If you wish to join the demonstration there will be a large group of representatives leaving from Dalyan on Saturday morning. Anyone wishing to join this group, please meet at the denizati restaurant at 08:00 on Saturday morning, Transport is being arranged for those that do not own vehicles, anyone who wishes to go in their own cars but do not know the way are also welcome to meet at the Denizati restaurant and can follow from there.

If you wish to make your own way to Yuvarlakcay people will be meeting at the Yesil Vandi restaurant in Yuvarlakcay at 09:00. From there the group will walk to the protest site.
It would be advisable to take sturdy footwear and suitable clothing, including waterproofs. It would also be beneficial to take along some food and drink with you.

The person organising this protest is CEMAL the owner of the Yesil Vardi in Yuvarlakcay and he can be contacted on 05426672962.

[John Codling]

How terrible I wish I was there to join in but I will be with you all in spirit.

Good luck in the fight against this.

[Dorothea]

Good luck with this - it is terrible news. Seems such a shame that the battles are still having to be fought - after the beach was saved you think someone would have learnt a lesson

[m1cksut]

Good luck with this - it is terrible news. Seems such a shame that the battles are still having to be fought - after the beach was saved you think someone would have learnt a lesson

all of these schemes are controversial in some way.
hydro electric generation always seems to need to destroy a large area due to the damming of rivers, drowning of villages, loss of various habitats etc.
however the alternatives are just as widely objected to; nuclear generation is frowned upon by the locals for obvious, though not always valid, reasons; fossil fuel generation is becoming about as popular as hitler at a barmitzvah and wind/wave/solar/etc generation does not provide sufficient power per unit/cost when compared with the other forms of generation.
how then are countries like turkey to provide electricity to their people?
leaving aside the massive carbon costs of building any other generating stations, hydro electric is by far the most efficient and least polluting option, but unfortunately always impacts on the immediate environment in a large, though local way.
i dont know what the answer is to this problem, and whilst i hope the campaign is successful, i cant help wondering where the next site will be if not there?
are there enough suitable sites that will NOT have such an impact?

[Andy]

Well said Mick

the dam at Dalaman look really nice now the environment has started to grow back

unfortunately this is called progress

if the dam was built and the river continued to flow then yes

diverting the river is a big no no

[Dorothea]

even if you look at this from a strictly economic view,why do this in a tourist area. I know there will be people affected whereever you do this and no one wants a power station in their area, but are there rivers further inland where there would not be a threat to the livlihoods of the restaurant staff and fish farmers?

[CatsWhisker]

Couldn't agree more Dorothea. It will kill off the restaurants, fish farms, and village life, not to mention the influx of tourists.

[Andy]

Did anyone go to the protest site on Saturday

and any more info on how the protest went

[CatsWhisker]

Here is the latest update !!!
--------------------------------------------------

We're very saddened to see the clearing of the trees at Yuvarlkcay today. A 60m-wide strip along the north bank of the river is being cleared in order to lay pipes and electric poles and build a road to help lay the pipes. In summary, the area has been devistated; especially it was very dissapointing to see the source of the river, where they've also knocked down centuries-old plane trees.

The majority of the people of this area has been there once, I'm sure, as well as the tourists. Have a look at it now: : http://media.causes.com/684082

We need to raise over voices louder than ever. In this regard, some activities are being organised:

- TOMORROW (21st Dec.), at 12:00, there will be a protest gathering in front of KOYCEGIZ Special Environment Protection (OCK) building. THere will be a letter to the Mugla Governer open for signature. Be there to sign and have your say.

- WEDNESDAY (23rd Dec.), DALYAN WALKING GROUP will gather next to PTT in Dalyan at 10:00, go to Yuvarlakcay area by own transport, and do a walk from the restaurants area to the source of the river. At the same time, cyclists from DALYAN CYCLING GROUP will ride from Dalyan and meet us there. The walk is very easy and about half an hour. IF YOU WANT TO JOIN, PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY PHONE OR E-MAIL.

Hope to see you at both of these events

Murat Demirci
Dalyan Walking Group
0533 694 0923

[John Codling]

I have heard from Alan Fenn that the development has been stopped. A number of injunctions were raised with the court in Ankara and the first one was upheld causing the cessation of work at the moment.

Apparently 3 protected liquid amber trees have been cut down, as have a number of protected plane trees.

This isn't the end but it is a hopeful sign that these people cannot just get away with foing whatever they feel like.

[Julie]

Thanks for that info John.Pity there wasnt any liquid amber trees on your land.

[Andy]

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/2010_04_30/akfen-halts-its-power-plant-project-2010-04-30_l.jpg

PROTEST: Villagers and environmentalists have been demonstrating against the hydroelectric plant project in Yuvarlakçay in Muğla for four months.
Turkey’s Akfen Holding has backed down from its decision to build a hydroelectric power plant on a river in Muğla due to “environmentalist reaction,” according to its chief.
Villagers and environmentalists have been demonstrating against the hydroelectric plant project in Yuvarlakçay of the Aegean province’s Köyceğiz district for four months.
Building a hydroelectric power plant on the Yuvarlakçay River in spite of the reactions of local residents is impossible, said Hamdi Akın, chairman of the holding, expressing his expectation of seeing approval from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority, or EMRA.
“As Akfen Holding, we will apply to the EMRA not to build a hydroelectric power plant [on Yuvarlakçay]. The EMRA follows the licenses given for power plant constructions and imposes penalty if a company obtains a license but does not establish a plant. Therefore, we expect tolerance and understanding from the EMRA for our decision,” he said.
“The reaction of environmentalists and villagers in Yuvarlakçay is our main reason in this cancellation decision. We are also environmentalists,” Akın said. “We had 20 hydroelectric power plant projects, but now it is 19. I also send my respects to people that are on guard for the environment day and night in Yuvarlakçay.”
In Turkey, over 1,600 licenses have been given for hydroelectric power plant construction but protests and objections have emerged against those plants on grounds that they will destroy nature and cut tourism and agricultural revenues.
The power plant tension started in Yuvarlakçay with the logging of hundreds of trees, some up to 400 years old, in one night on Dec. 3, 2009.
In response, the Platform to Protect Yuvarlakçay was established.
During the process, some 11 administrative suits were filed to all institutions that allow power plant construction in the region, including the Regional Directorate of Forestry and the Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas. Two of those suits decided to halt the power plant processes.
The Yuvarlakçay, whose water is drinkable, supplies water to nearby Köyceğiz Lake, nourishes five villages in the area and is crucial to the region’s agriculture.
The area’s contribution to the country’s economy with its citrus production is nearly 100 million Turkish Liras. The river also welcomes 200,000 tourists each year.

[June]

Good news that Yuvarlak Cay has been saved - it goes to show what effect people power can have.
It's a pity so many trees have already been destroyed.