09.07.2024 13:10
Only one person lives in the village of Çeltikdüzü, which is located in the Yusufeli district of Artvin and is submerged under water due to the dam. Sebaha Küçük, a 75-year-old woman, has not been expropriated because her house is two meters above the highest level of the dam waters. Küçük said, "I don't have any close neighbors or relatives. Before, I used to go to my neighbors who live far away before the dam waters took our road. But now I can't go. Both sides of my house are underwater, and currently there is no road to my house."
In the village of Çeltikdüzü, which is connected to Yusufeli district of Artvin, 75-year-old Sebaha Küçük had to live alone in the village because her house was not expropriated due to the dam waters reaching her house wall. Sebaha Nine started to live a completely isolated life when the access roads to her house were submerged under the dam waters.
In Yusufeli district, the Yusufeli Dam and HEPP project, which is the highest dam in Turkey and the fifth highest dam in the world with a height of 275 meters built on the Çoruh River, started electricity production in the past months. The water retention process started with the ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on November 22, 2022, and within a year, the center of Yusufeli district and seven villages were completely submerged.
HER HOUSE IS ABOVE THE DAM WATERS BY 2 METERS
A dramatic incident occurred in Çeltikdüzü, which is one of the 10 villages partially affected by the dam waters and the last village with 164 households. The house of 75-year-old Sebaha Küçük, who spent her childhood in this village, was above the highest elevation of the dam waters, which is 713 elevation, by two meters. In this situation, when expropriation was not made, Sebaha Nine had to live alone in the village. When the dam waters reached 710 elevation, the road that provided access to Sebaha Nine's house was submerged, and this situation caused her to be stranded in the village.
"BOTH SIDES OF MY HOUSE ARE UNDERWATER"
Sebaha Küçük, who stated that she has high blood pressure and diabetes, said, "My knees hurt, and I have difficulty walking. I live here alone. My children work outside and cannot come and help me. I don't have close neighbors, I don't have anyone. I used to go to my neighbors who live far away before our road was taken by the dam waters. But now I can't go. Both sides of my house are underwater, and I don't have a road to my house right now."
"THE VILLAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY EXPROPRIATED"
Abdullah İspirli, a relative of Sebaha Nine, said, "Our village was submerged under the dam waters. Expropriation was not made in some areas where there was no water. One of these is Sebaha Aunt's house. Since her house is right on the edge of the dam waters and there is a risk of the house sliding, her road is also underwater. Therefore, these houses need to be expropriated as soon as possible. In fact, the whole region should have been completely expropriated."
"I CAME THROUGH THE WATER UP TO MY KNEES TO REACH HER"
Serhat İnce, who documents and archives the process of Yusufeli being submerged daily, said, "When the waters rose last, our aunt's situation was clearly evident. A new road was built at 710 elevation this year, and this road was submerged. Our aunt's only access road was through this road, and this road is also underwater due to the dam waters. I came through the water up to my knees to reach her. I want the authorities to expropriate our aunt here as soon as possible and move her to a safer and healthier environment."