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Infrastructural works carried out in Turkey are exhibited as well as future projects to recover and use the water resources available in areas where they are scarce (for instance, southeast Anatolia) to return fertility to the valleys, cities and towns of Turkey. “WATER” has a double meaning here, as the basis for “BIOLOGICAL LIFE” and as the social, cultural, and economic sources of “HUMAN LIFE”, in the context of future plans and programs.
GAP (Southeastern Anatolia Project)
The third part of the exhibition is allocated for the presentation of future projects which are envisioned for the consistent use, storage and development of water. These include plans and projects which will take place within the context of the GAP (Southeastern Anatolia Project). Other possible initiatives, management plans, water conservation projects, etc. which will improve cities and towns can also be presented. GAP will be the star of this part. It was initiated during the 1970s for water and territorial development. Its target is to achieve the whole economic and social development of the Southeast Anatolia Region. This involves 13 irrigation and energy projects together with investments totaling Euro 32 million. Of these, 7 projects will affect the Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers. Within the framework of these 7 projects, 27 billion KWh of hydroelectric energy will be produced every year. Via the GAP, the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydroelectric units is foreseen and nearly half of this construction is completed. They comprise the irrigation networks in the Tigris-Euphrates basin. Thanks to these networks, more than 250,000 hectares out of 1.82 million hectares receive the water they need for irrigation. All these investments yield social and economic benefits through global environmental protection which is consistent with the whole region. These include education, health, housing, opportunity equality, city management, etc.
Exhibition Displays
The third exhibition area carries us to a very different atmosphere. We pass from a crepuscular, traditional and plain location to a modern location which gives the impression of living today and in the near future at the same time through its modern melodies of lights and colors. This is where future projects are presented and Turkey implements its plans for a unified plan of water use and management, especially by the GAP (Southeastern Anatolia Project).
 The terrain seems like a river bed here (Tigris or Euphrates). There is a chromium strip in the middle, a passage that can be easily used by the handicapped. You will feel the connotation of river water here. The lateral portions will remind you of the greenery which surrounds the rivers, and you can sit here and enjoy the atmosphere.
The ceiling is a melting pot of bright, inviting, and lively colors. Life is reflected by a projector which spotlights photographs of the exhibited projects (dams, lakes, hydroelectric power stations). Moreover, the public works reclaim and reuse Turkey’s water. Other scenes highlight the fertile soils which are regained due to the quasi-GAP investments (cultivated fields, valleys, forestry lands). Similarly, humanitarian and social elements provide consistent development in the various settlements in line with this natural infrastructure. We will see them through illustrations, cities, towns, etc. The message is very clear. Collective working and consistent management policies will enable the reclamation and development of both extensive existing grounds and settlement units yet to be established.
Finally, we use the hall’s walls as a table to graphically display investment information and figures. So that visitors will understand the importance of these investments, they will be able to observe statistics about the population which has benefited from this development, the regained fertile agricultural lands, and the energy produced at the hydroelectric power stations. In a few cases, the information will be given by wooden carvings. In others, dynamic LCD screens on the walls will present this information. If desired, information can be updated on the same day that it is seen.
There is also a map where a panoramic picture of the Atatürk Dam and the public works taking place in the region. |
