Karez in Kurdistan

[Piling]

Ancient water tunnels called "Karez" in Iraqi Kurdistan are rapidly drying up, a clear sign that the recent regional droughts are hitting the villages hard. Climate change seems to be unfolding at a wider scale and the future for groundwater supply seems bleak. Dale Lightfoot, an american geographer, travels the northern provinces of Kurdistan to document the situation. It urges UNESCO to set up a major initiative to safe the karez tunnels of Kurdistan.

More information: www.sapiensproductions.com
Produced by: Joshka Wessels, Sapiens Productions - supported by UNESCO Office for Iraq
Year: 2009

Video on this page :

http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/media-gal ... -kurdistan

Language: English

[KabirKuhi]

Thank you US, China and russia for destroying our already dry climate homeland. We're even more scewed, since turkey has taken measures to control the eufrates and tigris rivers. We don't even have a coast or a large sea of body we can use desalination for.

[Anthea]

Ancient water tunnels called "Karez" in Iraqi Kurdistan are rapidly drying up, a clear sign that the recent regional droughts are hitting the villages hard. Climate change seems to be unfolding at a wider scale and the future for groundwater supply seems bleak. Dale Lightfoot, an american geographer, travels the northern provinces of Kurdistan to document the situation. It urges UNESCO to set up a major initiative to safe the karez tunnels of Kurdistan.

More information: http://www.sapiensproductions.com
Produced by: Joshka Wessels, Sapiens Productions - supported by UNESCO Office for Iraq
Year: 2009

Video on this page :

http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/media-gal ... -kurdistan

Language: English

Do you know if UNESCO has actually done anything to improve matters?

I noticed that when people who were driven from their land by Saddam returned - they failed or were unable to repair their Karez system

Who originally designed and built the Karez systems?

My non-Kurdish friends managed to obtain a great deal of publicity in the media - and much political support to prevent the building of the llisu Dam - sadly most of the Kurds themselves did not bother to support campaigns. Far too busy watching TURKISH TV

Dam projects in Turkey have cumulatively increased in recent years. River ecosystems and associated resident communities are under constant and immense threats, as dams continue to be one of the most debated issues in Turkey. Currently, the government of Turkey plans to construct a total of 1,738 dams and hydroelectric power plants by 2023. On top of these, another 2,000 dams are planned for irrigation and drinking-water purposes, with these proposals totalling around 4,000 dams.

The planned construction of the massive Ilisu dam on the Tigris River in South East Turkey is the largest of all 4000 dam projects in Turkey and one of the world’s most controversial energy projects. Despite widespread opposition, the Turkish government is proceeding with the construction of the dam that would inundate an area over 310 sq. kms in ancient Mesopotamia (the area to be flooded is equivalent to the size of the EU member state of Malta). Though the dam is planned to have a life span of less than 100 years, its legacy will bring enormous and permanent cultural, humanitarian and natural repercussions in Mesopotamia, the cradle of all civilisation on earth.

The 11,000 year-old historic town of Hasankeyf would disappear together with hundreds of cultural and archaeological sites. Tens of thousands of people would be displaced and important habitats for globally and regionally threatened species would be destroyed. The dam would also affect other important habitats and communities that live and rely on the Tigris River, which flows through Mesopotamia all the way to the marshes of Basra in Iraq. Globally endangered species that will be affected by the Ilısu include the Egyptian Vulture, Euphrates Soft-shelled Turtle, and the Leopard (Mesopotamian) Barbel.

The Ilisu Dam would flood an area so rich in its cultural and natural heritage that it meets nine out of 10 UNESCO World Heritage Site criteria. It is the only place in the world to come that close to UNESCO’s requirements, according to a report published by Istanbul University Professor Zeynep Ahunbay, who is also President of ICOMOS Turkey (the International Council on Monuments and Sites that evaluates nominations for World Heritage Status).

[Anthea]

I also noticed that it is an Iranian team shown helping to restructure one such system - a fact that further suggests Kurds themselves are no-longer able to repair and maintain the systems themselves