The Project of the Century inaugurated

The water transfer project known as the “Project of the Century” has been inaugurated. Following the opening ceremony of the TRNC Water Supply Project which was held in Anamur, the second ceremony for the opening of the Geçitköy Dam and Facility took place at the Çamlıbel Drinking Water Treatment Facility in the TRNC.

President Mustafa Akıncı said that the water coming from Turkey is pleasing and has a major contribution to the solution and peace process of Cyprus.

Stating that the Turkish Cypriot people have to find the most rational and most efficient ways with their own institutions and they need to succeed with the good management of this water, Akıncı said, “Can we do that? Yes, we can, we can do everything hand in hand”.

Expressing that the Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdoğan made a great effort for this project, and he stood behind the project mentally and spiritually, Akıncı stated that President Erdoğan believed in this project, and showed determination.

Akıncı emphasized that it is pleasing that the problem is being resolved today and stressed that it has a major contribution to the future of Cyprus, and to the peace and the solution process.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of Geçitköy Dam, Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdoğan said: “If the Greek Cypriots say that they also want to utilize this water, we name this water as the peace water and we give it to them too. Because the important thing for us is the humanity”

Erdoğan expressed that agriculture can flourish through using this water and thus the economy will be revived. In this way, the TRNC will become the centre of attraction in the region. “We will continue our eternal brotherhood and solidarity with our brothers in Cyprus forever without failure,” Erdoğan said.

Stating that they are continuing their intensive efforts in order to eliminate the victimization of the Turkish Cypriot people and to put them in a well-deserved place in the world, Erdoğan said that they talked about Cyprus during the meeting with the US President Barack Obama and during the meeting with the leaders of the other countries in Brussels this week.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said:“We will reach the goal sooner or later in a fair way with the help of both your struggle on the table and our struggle in the international arena”.

The TRNC Water Supply Project started with the foundation of Alaköprü Dam above the Dragon Creek in Anamur on 7 March 2011.

One year later, the foundation of Geçitköy Dam was laid on 30 March 2012. The first part of 500 meters long pipelines were laid in December, 2013. Construction of both dams were completed on 7 March 2014.

The first water flow into Geçitköy Dam started on 9 October 2015. Alaköprü Dam has a capacity of 130.5 million cubic meters and Geçitköy Dam has a capacity of 26. 5 million cubic meters. The project which cost 1 billion 600 million Turkish Liras consists of a total 106 km long  pipeline of which sea transition is 80 km, suspended pipeline system is 66,5 km and the part in the TRNC is 3 km.

By this project, 75 million cubic meters of water will be transferred to the TRNC annually and 37. 76 million cubic meters of water will be used for drinking-usage and industry and the rest of it will be used for irrigation.

The project was constructed by Turkey’s Ministry of Forestry and Hydraulic Works General Directorate and the water is planned to be supplied to all water lines throughout the TRNC in the first half of the next year. Lefkoşa will be the first region to which the water will be supplied after the opening.