THE SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA PROJECT (GAP) A SOCIO-ECONOMICAL STUDY FROM THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE WRITTEN BY: ZIAD AL AWAR MAY 1, 2003 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DR. DAENE MCKINNEY2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..........................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................4 DESCRIPTION OF THE EUPHRATES-TIGRIS RIVER BASIN................................4 Figure 1: Map of the Euphrates-Tigris Basin .......................................................4 THE GAP PROJECT: AN OVERVIEW ..........................................................................5 Figure 2: Map of the GAP Region..........................................................................5 Figure 3: Structural Change in the Economy of GAP Region.............................6 METHOD OF RESEARCH................................................................................................6 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................................6 Definition ..................................................................................................................6 Historical Background.............................................................................................7 Agenda 21 .................................................................................................................8 GAP AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT................................................................10 Multi-Purpose Community Centers (CATOM)....................................................11 Project for the Rehabilitation of Children Working in Streets ...........................12 Social Progress for Youth........................................................................................12 Project on Planning and Implementation for the Resettlement, Employment and Socio-Economic Investments of People Affected by Birecik Dam..............................................................................................................12 GAP Region Public Health Project ........................................................................13 Activities for Training CATOM Participants as "Health Volunteers"..............13 Small Scale Income Generating Projects...............................................................13 Project for the Promotion of Employment and Business Potential in the Urban Informal Sector ............................................................................................13 GAP Entrepreneur Support and Guidance Centers (GAP-GIDEM).................14 Other Projects ..........................................................................................................14 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ........................................................................................14 CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...................................................................................................16 REFERENCES.....................................................................................................................163 ABSTRACT The use of water resources has always been a tool to initiate economical development. Planning for water resources use has changed in the last decade since benefit cost studies are no longer a sufficient justification for a project. Developing agencies now consider the socio-economical components of a project and its relevance from a sustainable development point of view major aspects in the assessment of a project. The GAP project in Turkey (Southeastern Anatolian Project) is expressed by Turkey as a project which satisfies the sustainable development concept. In this paper, some of the social projects planed and accomplished as a part of the GAP project are observed. Moreover, the relevance of the project from a sustainable development point of view is assessed.4 INTRODUCTION Environmentalists and sociologists have always criticized engineers for constructing concrete monuments with insufficient attention to the background. Thorough environmental studies, sociological and economical studies now precede project formulation (Stephenson, D. and Peterson, M.S. 1991). The development of the Southeastern Anatolia region in Turkey started by building few dams on the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin to secure enough water for the population living in the region and to provide some water for irrigation (example: the "Keban Project"). However, the project started to shift toward the socio-economical side and to highlight the value of sustainable development after the establishment of a new organization called “The Southeastern Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration” (Office of the Prime Minister, Newspot (28 July-August 2001)). In this paper, the concept of sustainable development is explained. A historical review and a description of the requirements for sustainable development as declared by the United Nations are presented. Also, the social projects planed and implemented by the GAP administration are presented and discussed. And finely, the GAP project is assessed from a sustainable development perspective. DESCRIPTION OF THE EUPHRATES-TIGRIS RIVER BASIN The two rivers of Euphrates and Tigris start in Turkey and flow through Syria and Iraq where they end in the Arabic Golf. Almost all the water of the Euphrates and a major part of the Tigris come from within the Turkish borders. Turkey receive about 509 billion m3 of precipitation annually, 38 % of this water end up as surface water (Kolars 1991). The Euphrates is the longest river in southwest Asia (2700 Km) and its maximum average annual volume is 35.9 billion m3 at Hit, Iraq. Its maximum flow is in April/May while its minimum flow is in September/October because most of its water comes from melting snows. The Tigris is the second longest river in southwest Asia (1840 Km) and its maximum average annual volume is 70.4 billion m3 (more than that of Euphrates) at Baghdad, Iraq. Figure 1: Map of the Euphrates-Tigris Basin. (Source: GAP website)5 THE GAP PROJECT: AN OVERVIEW Surrounded by Syria in the south and by Iraq in the southeast the "GAP Region" has a total area of 75,358 square