SOUTHEASTERN ANOTOLIA PROJECT (GAP)
Extracted from GAP Administration's Publications
Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) is a regional development project aiming at the overall socio-economic development of a 75.000 square km. area with a population of over 6 million. The project area covers the provinces of Adiyaman, Batman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Sanliurfa and Tirnak.
STATUS OF HYDROPOWER AND IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT IN GAP REGION (2000)
| Completed | Ongoing | Planned | |
| Capacity (MW) | 4,490 | 898 | 1,947 |
| Energy Production (GWh/yr) | 16,704 | 3,286 | 7,119 |
| Irrigation Area (ha) | 212,197 | 159,147 | 1,428,656 |
| Number of Dams | 12 | 2 | 8 |
| Number of Hydropower Plants | 6 | 2 | 10 |
As an integrated regional project based upon the concept of sustainable development, the GAP covers, in addition to the construction of 22 dams and 19 hydropower plants, investments in urban and rural infrastructure, agriculture, transportation, industry, education, healthcare, housing and tourism.
GAP is the most comprehensive integrated regional development project ever attempted in Turkey. The total cost of the project is estimated at $32 billion, of which $14 billion have already been spent. The basic objectives of the GAP project are to enhance productivity and employment opportunities in the rural parts of the region and to contribute to national development objectives such as economic growth, increase in exports, and social and political stability. In order to achieve these goals, a strategy has been developed by the GAP Master Plan consisting of the following major components:
- development and management of land and water resources for irrigation and for industrial and urban uses;
- improvement of land use through optimal crop design and agricultural practices;
- further development of both agro-industry and other industries mainly by relying on locally available resources;
- control of migration and improvement of social services, education and employment opportunities in order to attract qualified manpower to the region.
The GAP Master Plan envisages the development of the region as an "export center" in terms of agricultural and agriculture based industrial goods. It will be possible to irrigate an area of 1.7 million hectars and generate hydroelectric energy of 27 billion kwh/year with an installed capacity of over 7460MW. The total land to be irrigated corresponds to 20% of total economically irrigable land in the country while the annual electric energy production constitutes 22% of the hydro-electric energy potential of Turkey. According to projections, upon the completion of the irrigation projects, the yield increase will be 90% in wheat, 43% in barley, 600% in cotton, 700% in tomatoes, 250% in lentils and 167% in vegetables. The GAP Master Plan also envisages an annual increase in employment of 3.1% and a doubling of income by 2005.
Structural Change in the Economy of GAP Region