The Amed Ecology Association and Amed Bar Association Urban and Environment Commission filed a lawsuit at the Diyarbakır Administrative Court against the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, requesting the cancellation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) positive decision issued for the İsdemir Diyarbakır Solar Energy Plant project that İskenderun Iron and Steel Company wants to build in the Bağlarbaşı neighbourhood of the Piran (Dicle) district of Amed. The Solar Energy Plant project to be built threatens a 2,540-decare area of land as well as water resources and forested areas. While the Asrak, Piran and Lamazar streams are located within the project area, a 200-cubic-metre drinking water reservoir that meets the drinking water needs of Yeşilsırt neighbourhood, numerous water wells and fountains will also be negatively affected by the project. Furthermore, the installation of 310,932 chemically structured electronic panels is projected to require the felling of thousands of trees.

 

WATER BASINS WILL BE DAMAGED

 

According to the cancellation application filed by the Ecology Association and Amed Bar Association, the felling of trees will cause severe damage to water basins, rainfall potential will decrease, the risk of drought will increase, and rainwater falling on the panels following rainfall will poison underground and surface water resources.

 

Although the Ministry stated in the EIA positive decision it issued for the project that there is no other GES activity within the project area, the application drew attention to the fact that another Solar Energy Plant project sought by a different company is planned in the 15 Temmuz neighbourhood of Piran. It was noted that there is only 744 metres between the two planned projects.

 

According to the application, the project, which covers not only forested areas but also agricultural and pasture lands, also threatens the people's livelihoods. While there are settlements approximately 100 metres from the project area, animal husbandry, beekeeping and viticulture — the people's means of livelihood — are under threat.

 

QUESTIONS FOR EXPERT WITNESSES

 

In the lawsuit petition filed by the association and the bar association, expert witnesses were requested to answer the following questions: "Was the correct site selection made for the project in question? Does the project in question have to be built in an area of such high ecological value? Was an alternative site survey conducted? Were public health and livelihoods, cost-benefit analysis and cumulative impact assessment properly conducted in the EIA report? Was the felling of thousands of trees in this vast area evaluated in the EIA report from the perspective of climate change? How will the destruction of the trees in the project site, which is in a feeding area, affect the feeding potential and rainfall?"

 

MA / Müjdat Can