Uludere Dam

The Uludere Dam is a gravity dam under construction on the Ortasu River (a tributary of the Hezil River) in Uludere district of Şırnak Province, southeast Turkey. Under contract from Turkey's State Hydraulic Works, Hidrokon began construction on the dam in 2008 and a completion date has not been announced.[2]

Uludere Dam
Location of Uludere Dam in Turkey
Country	Turkey
Location	Uludere, Şırnak Province
Coordinates	37°25′33″N 42°48′8″E
Purpose	Water supply, military
Status	Under construction
Construction began	2008
Construction cost	US$65,920,000 (TL103,000,000) (Combined cost with Balli Dam)[1]
Owner(s)	State Hydraulic Works
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Gravity, roller-compacted concrete
Impounds	Ortasu River
Height	55.5 m (182 ft)
Length	431 m (1,414 ft)
Elevation at crest	913 m (2,995 ft)
Width (crest)	8 m (26 ft)
Dam volume	35,000 m^3 (45,778 cu yd)
Spillway type	Overflow
Reservoir
Total capacity	20,100,000 m^3 (16,295 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area	196.4 km^2 (76 sq mi)
Normal elevation	908.49 m (2,981 ft)
Power Station
Turbines	2 (planned)
Installed capacity	3.5 MW (planned)[2]

The reported purpose of the dam is water storage and it can also support a 3.5 MW hydroelectric power station in the future.[3] Another purpose of the dam which has been widely reported in the Turkish press is to reduce the freedom of movement of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants. Blocking and flooding valleys in close proximity to the Iraq–Turkey border is expected to help curb cross-border PKK smuggling and deny caves in which ammunition can be stored. A total of 11 dams along the border; seven in Şırnak Province and four in Hakkâri Province were implemented for this purpose. In Şırnak they are the Silopi and Şırnak Dams downstream of the Uludere Dam and the Balli, Kavşaktepe, Musatepe and Çetintepe Dams upstream on the Ortasu River. In Hakkari are the Gölgeliyamaç (since cancelled) and Çocuktepe Dams on the Güzeldere River and the Aslandağ and Beyyurdu Dams on the Bembo River.[4][5][6][7]

Construction works were estimated 14% complete in July 2015.[8] Uludere Dam was still under construction as of April 2019.[9]

See also

• List of dams and reservoirs in Turkey

References

1. "Uludere Dam construction tender". DGMarkets. 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
2. "ŞIRNAK ULUDERE DAM AND HEPP" (in Turkish). Hidrokon. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
3. "DSI 10 REGIONAL OFFICE - Diyarbakir" (in Turkish). State Hydraulic Works. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
4. "Terror Down" (in Turkish). Posta. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
5. "Planned to be completed in the second dam on the border against the PKK" (in Turkish). Hurriyet. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
6. "Dams Prevent Smuggling at the Border" (in Turkish). Aktif Haber. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
7. "Water retention dams began operation against PKK" (in Turkish). CNNTurk. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
8. "PKK, Doğu'nun çılgın projesine savaş açtı". Memurlar.Net (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-04-24.
9. Gazetesi, Yeni Yaşam (2019-04-06). "Uludere'de baraj yaşamı yıkıyor". Yeni Yaşam Gazetesi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-04-24.