Erdogan Opens Ilisu Dam On Tigris River In Southeastern Turkey - Reports

ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2020) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday took part in the opening of the Ilisu Dam, a hydro-power plant on the Tigris River in the country's southeast, via videoconferencing, broadcast by Turkish NTV channel.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli briefed Erdogan on the current state of the project, saying that despite attempts by Kurdistan Workers' Party to disrupt the construction, the dam had been completed.

Speaking to other participants, Erdogan said that the dam would become fully operational by the end of this year and contribute to the country's economy approximately $400 million a year.

Plans to build a dam in that location were developed back in the mid-20th century but started coming to life only in 2006. It will be the fourth one in Turkey in terms of electric output, while the created water reservoir will be the second largest in the country. In order to create the impoundment, about 200 settlements had to be flooded, necessitating relocation of more than 20,000 residents.