A city sinks for want of international cooperation
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 16, 2006 10:29
A gradual decrease in the flow of water from the Meric, Tunca, and Arda rivers following the opening of dams in Bulgaria two days ago has made life in Edirne, which is suffering the results of disastrous flooding, slightly easier in the past 24 hours.
With Bulgarian official acting to close the dams in question, Turkish attention is now turning to the as yet unbuilt Suakacagi Dam, which has been in the planning stages now for the past nearly 40 years, but which has never been completed, due to disagreement between Turkey and Bulgaria over land rights. The Suakacagi Dam is meant to hold back water on the Tunca River, which is an arm of the larger Meric River, but its construction has
Turkish Foreign Ministry recognizes urgency of unbuilt damalways met with barriers due to the fact that when completed, the project have the concrete dam portion in Turkey, while the lake portion would rest in Bulgaria. Both Turkey and Bulgaria have laid advance claim to the islet on which part of the dam would rest, an islet which is currently directly in between the two countries. And thus, international legal complications have kept the Suakacagi project in the works for the past 38 years.
In a press conference yesterday on the subject of Edirne flooding, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan addressed the question of the Suakacagi Dam, noting that the recent natural disaster in Edirne points to the importance of the completion of this dam. "The recent developments highlight the importance of cooperation between Turkey and Bulgaria in building the Suakacagi Dam on the Tunca River," said Tan.
Yesterday, main opposition leader Deniz Baykal arrived in Edirne by helicopter, and toured the water laden streets and boulevards, commenting that the area should be "declared an emergency zone" immediately.
Turkish Foreign Ministry recognizes urgency of unbuilt damalways met with barriers due to the fact that when completed, the project have the concrete dam portion in Turkey, while the lake portion would rest in Bulgaria. Both Turkey and Bulgaria have laid advance claim to the islet on which part of the dam would rest, an islet which is currently directly in between the two countries. And thus, international legal complications have kept the Suakacagi project in the works for the past 38 years.
In a press conference yesterday on the subject of Edirne flooding, Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan addressed the question of the Suakacagi Dam, noting that the recent natural disaster in Edirne points to the importance of the completion of this dam. "The recent developments highlight the importance of cooperation between Turkey and Bulgaria in building the Suakacagi Dam on the Tunca River," said Tan.
Yesterday, main opposition leader Deniz Baykal arrived in Edirne by helicopter, and toured the water laden streets and boulevards, commenting that the area should be "declared an emergency zone" immediately.