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YOUR URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!! YOUR URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!!
URGENT ACTION! ILISU BREACHES ALL FIVE UK GOVERNMENT CONDITIONS
The UK government is yet to decide whether it will back the Ilisu dam - but a decision is expected soon. The decision will be based on the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) for the project, on public consultation and experts' advice. For the consultation deadline of September 7th 2001, the Ilisu Dam Campaign, together with colleagues in the UK and internationally, prepared a 200-page analysis of the EIAR and the dam.
For details please see our press release, distributed yesterday (somewhat delayed due to the events of September 11th). Below is an URGENT ACTION letter that we urge you to send to Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Read more: below is a summary of our EIAR analysis report (a full version of the report will be available on the web soon - we will let you know the URL then).
Many thanks for your support.
URGENT ACTION
Our new report, (summary here) an analysis of the Ilisu Environmental Impact Assessment Report, reveals that the UK government's five conditions for supporting the Ilisu dam have not and cannot be met. Furthermore, on resettlement issues alone, the dam would break 15 international guidelines on 75 counts. We now need to send a clear message to the UK government: that there is no way they should support the Ilisu dam under these circumstances.
Please help pressure the government by sending the following letter to
Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, DTI, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET
and cc your letter to:
Jack Straw (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH),
Stephen Byers (Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU),
Baroness Symons (ECGD PO Box 2200, 2 Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange Square, London E14 9GS) and
Tony Blair (10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA).
SUGGESTED LETTER
Re: Ilisu Dam Project, Southeast Turkey
I am writing regarding the analysis of the Ilisu Environmental Impact Assessment Report, released by the Ilisu Dam Campaign and seven other UK and international NGOs on October 3rd (Review of EIAR for the Ilisu Dam and HEPP).
We urge you to take the conclusions of this report into account when deciding whether to provide export credit support for the Ilisu dam.
In particular, the report concludes that the five conditions set by the UK government for project approval have yet to be met:
1. 'Draw up a resettlement programme which reflects internationally accepted practice and includes independent monitoring.'
- The non-disclosure of the full Resettlement Action Plan, not least to those who would be affected by resettlement, constitutes such a gross violation of international guidelines that an immediate stay should be imposed upon the application for support.
- There are no credible grounds for concluding that a resettlement plan has been drawn up which reflects internationally acceptable practice and there is much evidence in the EIAR to the contrary.
- The continuing repression in the region renders the key objective of proper consultation unattainable.
2. 'Make provision for upstream water treatment plants capable of ensuring that water quality is maintained.'
- The planned water treatment plants will not significantly reduce high levels of nutrients from sewage and agricultural runoff and will cause eutrophication and anoxic conditions in the reservoir.
3. 'Give an assurance that adequate downstream water flows will be maintained at all times.'
- There is no substantiation provided in the EIAR for the selection of the minimum monthly flow release of 60 m3/s.
- No evidence is presented that downstream riparian countries were consulted to establish such a minimum release rule.
- It is likely that a significant proportion of the recommended minimum flow release from Ilisu of 60m3/s during dry years would be diverted.
- It is even possible that with full implementation of the Ilisu/Cizre projects, during drought periods, all the summer flow could be diverted before it crossed the border.
4. 'Produce a detailed plan to preserve as much of the archaeological heritage of Hasankeyf as possible.'
- The EIAR fails to provide any evidence of a detailed plan to preserve the archaeological heritage for Hasankeyf.
- There is evidence that the condition could not be met under present institutional, legal and social conditions in the region.
'A published assurance that the required consultation of neighbouring States has been carried out by the Turkish authorities.'
- This has not been given. In view of the expressed views of the Syrian and Iraqi Governments, it is difficult to see how such an assurance could be given.
In addition, on resettlement alone, the dam breaks 15 international guidelines on 75 counts.
Given these findings, we urge you to announce without delay your government's refusal of export credit support for the Ilisu dam.
Yours sincerely,
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