overview
As part of this project a significant but uncertain number of residents will be displaced, primarily by flooding. 199 settlements will be partially or completely flooded. Partially flooded settlements may lose enough farmland that their population must be resettled even if their homes are not flooded.
Numerous refugees have left the area in recent years fleeing conflict or looking for opportunity in the cities, so a number of the villages are listed as abandoned. While some of these residents may be entitled to compensation under Turkish law, tracking them down and informing them of their options presents a logistical challenge.
There is a legacy of mistrust of the Turkish government by the Kurds and an unfortunate history of resettlement-related abuses by the government. These include delays in payment or construction, lack of public consultation, and insufficient information given to residents. Rural-to-urban resettlers in particular have been unable to invest their compensation meaningfully due to a lack of job skills and education and instead end up suffering from unemployment and impoverishment.
Women and older male farmers were found to be particularly vulnerable, as rural income-generating activities they are well-adapted to are no longer available in the cities and they may have more difficulty adjusting to other jobs and conditions than younger men. This history is relevant to the project, as it may reflect a systemic problem with the Turkish government's resettlement programs.
Numerous refugees have left the area in recent years fleeing conflict or looking for opportunity in the cities, so a number of the villages are listed as abandoned. While some of these residents may be entitled to compensation under Turkish law, tracking them down and informing them of their options presents a logistical challenge.
There is a legacy of mistrust of the Turkish government by the Kurds and an unfortunate history of resettlement-related abuses by the government. These include delays in payment or construction, lack of public consultation, and insufficient information given to residents. Rural-to-urban resettlers in particular have been unable to invest their compensation meaningfully due to a lack of job skills and education and instead end up suffering from unemployment and impoverishment.
Women and older male farmers were found to be particularly vulnerable, as rural income-generating activities they are well-adapted to are no longer available in the cities and they may have more difficulty adjusting to other jobs and conditions than younger men. This history is relevant to the project, as it may reflect a systemic problem with the Turkish government's resettlement programs.