Farmer Mehmet Sıddık Evin said that the Ilısu Dam, along with other dams built across the province, has destroyed the productivity of pistachio orchards: “These dams brought us nothing but poverty,” he said.
The Ilısu Dam has brought nothing but harm to farmers in the region. Before the dam, the Siirt pistachio was renowned for its unique flavor. But after the drought caused by the dam, the pistachios began to rot and turn black.
Across Kurdistan, dozens of hydroelectric power plant (HPP) projects are under construction or have already been built. These projects, present in many provinces, have forced millions to migrate, submerged villages under water, and wiped out farmland. In Siirt alone there are eight dams, and nearly every stream in the province has been targeted for new hydroelectric projects. The Ilısu Dam, which came into operation in 2020, caused mass displacement and devastation across three provinces and destroyed the historic town of Hasankeyf. For local farmers, it has meant nothing but loss. Once famous for its flavor, Siirt pistachios have been devastated by the drought, leaving growers unable to harvest crops and forcing many to migrate in search of work.
Locals driven into poverty
Mehmet Sıddık Evin, who has relied on pistachios for his livelihood for nearly 30 years, is among those affected. Speaking from his orchard, he explained how the dam has left farmers with heavy losses in recent years. He said drought and water shortages are causing the pistachios to turn black, and warned that the dam is driving the local population into poverty.
Pistachios burned, orchards dried out
“Before, it was very good,” Evin said, adding: “I’ve made my living from pistachios for 30 years. But after the Ilısu Dam, our pistachios no longer grow. Around 70% of the people here live off pistachios. Because of these dams and this water, they left us with nothing. No orchards, no means of survival. Our harvests used to be good, but now the pistachios either burn up or don’t grow at all. If they don’t find a solution, the only livelihood left for people will disappear. Before the dam, they ran a thousand advertisements saying agriculture would improve, that people would benefit. But the dams brought us nothing except poverty, hardship, and oppression. There’s water and dams everywhere, yet in our own land we are living like Karbala.”
Neither livelihood nor production left
Evin added that the water crisis in the village has reached critical levels: “There’s no water in the village. We can’t give water to our animals, and all our orchards have dried up. No livelihood remains, no orchards or fields. We only produce pistachios, and if that’s gone, we’ll be left unemployed. Seasonal workers here rely on these fields in the summer. If there are no pistachios, they too will be forced to migrate.”
The dam is forcing us to leave
“I don’t want to leave my land, my homeland,” Evin said, adding: “But this dam is forcing us to migrate. While the state and companies get richer, we have become poorer. If things go on like this, there will no longer be such a thing as the Siirt pistachio. We don’t know what to do or how to survive.”
