A brand new irrigation canal, “Mardin-Ceylanpınar” that runs from the Atatürk Dam in Şanlıurfa to Mardin in southeast Türkiye has offered water to an space of agricultural land the scale of 70,000 soccer fields.
Within the scope of the Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP), a multi-sector built-in regional improvement venture, the canal was accomplished and put into service.
With its 221-kilometer (137.23-miles) size, the “canal of abundance” will enable the area to reap crops thrice a yr and enhance farmers’ revenue.
“The Mardin-Ceylanpınar Main Canal is the longest synthetic river in Türkiye. At 221 kilometers lengthy, it’s longer than the Suez Canal and thrice the scale of the Panama Canal. When all sections are accomplished, 349,000 soccer fields of agricultural land might be irrigated,” the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry stated.
The canal, which can provide water to 1 billion decares of land, price TL 2 billion.
With the canal, 35% of the nation’s grain wants might be met from this area.
“It is a historic occasion that the water of the Euphrates River will meet the fertile lands of higher Mesopotamia,” Dursun Yıldız, the pinnacle of the Water Policy Association, instructed native media.
Yıldız famous that the venture will double agricultural yields, increasing the vary of merchandise past grains to incorporate citrus fruits and greenhouse farming.
Pointing out that bringing the Euphrates’ water to the Mardin Plain won’t solely profit the area and Türkiye however may even considerably contribute to neighboring nations’ meals safety, Yıldız said that extreme groundwater utilization within the area over the past three many years would additionally curb.
Mehmet Şerif Öter, head of Kızıltepe Grain Trade Center, additionally highlighted that the canal may generate employment for roughly 300,000 individuals.
“The canal will irrigate these lands, and these lands will feed your entire nation. The venture might be a supply of livelihood for 300,000 people and breathe life into the area,” Öter stated.
“We currently harvest twice a year. With the canal, in some areas, three harvests could even be possible annually. The Mardin Plain currently meets 20% of the country’s wheat and legume needs. Once the canal is fully operational, the Mardin Plain will fulfill at least 35% of our country’s needs. If production thrives, external dependence will decrease,” he added.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
