The dam that supplies water to Cyprus has also become a lifeline for thousands of hectares of agricultural land.

In Anamur district of Mersin, the Alaköprü Dam, which was constructed in previous years to supply drinking water to Cyprus, has brought water to 59 thousand decares of agricultural land thanks to the thousands of square meters of piping recently installed. Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan noted that the irrigated area in the Anamur district, where agriculture is carried out for 12 months, will reach 75 thousand decares by the end of this year.

Completed in 2015, the Alaköprü Dam located in Anamur district of Mersin supplies drinking water to Cyprus and is becoming a lifeline for agriculture with its irrigation project. The work related to the Alaköprü irrigation area has reached its final stage. With 93% of the 304 thousand meters of piping installation completed, 59 thousand decares of land have received water. With the completion of the project, which aims to bring water to 75 thousand decares by the end of the year, it is stated that approximately 84 thousand decares of agricultural land will become irrigable.

Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan stated that they are in the construction site of an important project for the Anamur and Bozyazı districts and mentioned that efforts to bring the waters of the Alaköprü dam to the fields through a closed system continue vigorously.

“By the end of the year, 75 thousand decares will receive water”

Emphasizing that 93% of the supply line has been completed so far, Governor Pehlivan stated, “Within the scope of this project, the installation of 304 thousand meters of piping is foreseen, and currently, 93% of it has been installed. When the project is completed, approximately 84 thousand decares of agricultural land will receive water. Currently, with the completed works since the beginning of the project, 59 thousand decares are being irrigated by providing water to the nearby fields. But by the end of this year, the area will receive 75 thousand decares of water. Subsequently, with the ongoing works, thousands of farmers in our 29 neighborhoods will benefit from this water, allowing them to produce under much more favorable conditions,” he said.

“Agriculture is conducted for 12 months”

Pehlivan also emphasized the vital importance of water in agriculture, stating, “Water and irrigation systems are very important in the cultivation of agricultural products. Our Anamur district is surrounded by greenhouses and agriculture is conducted all year round. The production of tropical fruits, from bananas to strawberries, avocados to mangoes is increasing. Mersin ranks first in agriculture in 10 products. It is among the top 3 and top 10 in many products. Of course, to sustain this production volume, the irrigation system is crucial. In this context, under the auspices of our President, 16 dams have been completed. Alaköprü is one of them. In our province, we have a total capacity to hold 750 million cubic meters of water,” he said.

Highlighting that the Alaköprü Dam has a total water holding capacity of 120 million cubic meters, Pehlivan stated, “Water is being transported to our motherland Cyprus through an engineering project from here. Since 2015, 75 million cubic meters of water have been transported to Cyprus for drinking and agricultural purposes.”