The Musatepe 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, Ozerka Insaat began construction on the dam in 2008 and a completion date has not been announced.[2]

Musatepe Dam
Musatepe Dam is located in Turkey
Musatepe Dam
Location of Musatepe Dam in Turkey
CountryTurkey
LocationUludere, Şırnak Province
Coordinates37°22′57.91″N 42°54′21.33″E / 37.3827528°N 42.9059250°E / 37.3827528; 42.9059250
PurposeWater supply, military
StatusUnder construction
Construction began2008
Construction costUS$24,640,000 (TL38,500,000) (Combined cost with Çetintepe Dam)[1]
Owner(s)State Hydraulic Works
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity, roller-compacted concrete
ImpoundsOrtasu River
Height34.5 m (113 ft)
Length165 m (541 ft)
Elevation at crest1,115 m (3,658 ft)
Width (crest)8 m (26 ft)
Dam volume60,400 m3 (79,000 cu yd)
Spillway typeOverflow
Reservoir
Total capacity12,290,000 m3 (9,964 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area87.7 km2 (34 sq mi)
Power Station
Installed capacity9 MW (planned)[2]

The reported purpose of the dam is water storage and it can also support a 9 MW hydroelectric power station in the future.[2] 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 close 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, Şırnak, Uludere, Balli and Kavşaktepe Dams downstream of the Musatepe Dam and the Çetintepe Dam 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.[3][4][5][6]

Construction works were estimated 52% complete in July 2015.[7] Musatepe Dam was still under construction as of March 2019.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Musatepe Dam construction tender". DGMarkets. 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "DSI 10 REGIONAL OFFICE - Diyarbakir" (in Turkish). State Hydraulic Works. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Terror Down" (in Turkish). Posta. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Planned to be completed in the second dam on the border against the PKK" (in Turkish). Hurriyet. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "Water retention dams began operation against PKK" (in Turkish). CNNTurk. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  7. ^ "PKK, Doğu'nun çılgın projesine savaş açtı". Memurlar.Net (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  8. ^ Ki, Tercan Dedi (2019-03-13). "Şırnak'a Baraj ve HES Yatırımları Devam Ediyor!". Enerji Portalı (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-04-24.