Kurdish villagers stop Turkish Government from building solar power plant in their nature reserve

Residents of Çanakyayla which is a Kurdish-majority village in Turkey’s Bitlis Province, have successfully halted a solar energy project, citing ecological concerns and displacement risks, the Mezopotamya Agency reported on Monday. The victory followed lobbying efforts led by the Ecology Commission of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.

The solar energy project, was planned by a company owned by Vahit Çiller, a former MP of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, and was scheduled to begin in December. Following a meeting with ministry officials, the environmental impact assessment process was frozen.

Semra Çağlar Gökalp, DEM Party deputy for Bitlis, applauded the decision. “The planned site is a protected nature reserve with vital water resources. Halting this project is a victory for both the environment and the community,” she said. Gökalp highlighted that the location’s ecological sensitivity made the project untenable.

The village leader, Hikmet Karabalık, warned of the devastating impact the project would have had on the community. “This initiative would destroy our water sources and roadways, leaving 20,000 cattle without access to water and forcing residents to leave the area. Such destruction is unacceptable,” Karabalık said.

While the decision to suspend the project was celebrated, DEM MP İbrahim Akın cautioned that similar proposals might reappear. “Energy companies, often with international backing, continue to push harmful projects. Although this is a win for now, we must remain vigilant,” Akın stated.

Turkey has a history of eliminating dissent. Ali Ulvi and Aysin Büyüknohutçu were a loving couple who cared about their land, their forests and the planet. They were murdered eight years ago in Antalya, Turkey while challenging mining in a stone quarry.

Turkish environmentalists were killed for protecting the land. The least we can do is petition that justice is served.

The solar energy plant project reflects broader concerns in Kurdish-majority regions of Turkey, where energy and infrastructure projects have faced criticism for their ecological impact. Large-scale projects, such as the Ilısu Dam on the Tigris River, have submerged historical sites, displaced residents, and damaged ecosystems. These dams violate human rights.

Additionally, deforestation and environmental degradation in areas such as Tunceli (Dersim) and Şırnak (Şirnex), often linked to military operations, have drawn condemnation from environmentalists and local communities.

There are 145 mine projects in such an important area, when in fact it should have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Euphrates ecosystem is being heavily damaged, says Barış Yıldırım, a lawyer in Turkey. Read here how Turkey is destroying archeology and wildlife without hesitation. 

“We will stand by any community that defends their land, water, and way of life,” the DEM Party, known for its focus on ecological and social justice, stated in a press release. You can read more about how Turkey uses forest fires as a tool of war against the Kurds in this dissertation paper here.

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