Along the Tigris River in Turkey, there is a town named Hasankeyf, an ancient city that dates back thousands of years. The city, with its many archaeological sites, is a wellspring of history. But this is about to change.
A dam under construction—a project dating back to the 1950s—is set to be completed within the next year. With the completion of this dam, Hasankeyf will be submerged under water, destroying not only the current residents homes and livelihoods, but the incalculable value of the history that lies within its boundaries.
According to the New York Times, “Hasankeyf (pronounced has-AN-kayf) has an abundance of history, more than 12,000 years of it, dating back to the Neolithic period, when it was the site of one of the world’s first organized human settlements.” To destroy such a historic site seems irresponsible. So why is this decision being made?
The push for cleaner energy in this century has gained steam lately, and hydroelectric dams are certainly a central part of this goal. But how effective are hydroelectric dams compared to the environmental impacts they have on the surrounding geographical area? Many have criticized the affects that dams have, such as water flow, the flooding of the river that flows into it—destroying the local ecosystems—and dislocating the local population. These consequences are enough to question whether dams are worth the impact, and whether a different type of renewable energy should be pursued.
The ideal of clean energy is a good one. But we must always make sure that we are going about it in the right way. Hydroelectric dams are huge projects that take years and tons of energy to build. Then when complete, they take a lot of maintenance to function correctly. All the energy that goes into making a dam function may not be worth the energy it puts out, especially when entire ecosystems are affected by the dramatic change in the flow and the boundaries of the river.
To me it seems as though the millions of dollars spent on dams could be better spent elsewhere, like researching cleaner energy sources that don’t disrupt entire ecosystems and human populations.
