2011: Europe / Middle East / Central Asia
Czech Republic, Germany, Iran, Jordan, Spain, Turkey
Czech Republic
Baking on Dam
Arnika - Nature Conservation program organized an action against a proposed dam on the Elbe River. They threw baked fish, made from flour and water into the river as a sign that the dam will endanger, among many other things, their fish. The name of action "Baking on Dam" is based on play on words, which is not easy to translate into English. "To bake on something" is a modern Czech idiom for "to disregard".
Contact:
Vlastimil Karlik
Arnika
Email: vlastimil.karlik@arnika.org
Germany
Article Submission to UN Committee
Heike Drillisch coordinated a submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, coinciding with the International Day of Action For Rivers, on human rights violations by Turkish dams. You can read the full report here.
Contact:
Heike Drillisch
CounterCurrent
heike.drillisch@gegenstroemung.org
Save the Danube as a Lifeline
An action was held at the Stony Bridge over the River Danube in Regensburg. It is the oldest stone bridge over the Danube ever built and stands for connectivity and co-operation in favor of the river. Participating groups held up pictures of the huge Beluga sturgeon. The Beluga is the largest freshwater fish, in former times it was migrating from the Black Sea up to Regensburg in Germany. The Beluga is now critically endangered and on the path to extinction due to dam building, habitat-loss and over-fishing. It should not be sacrificed for new dams and waterway channels.
Contact:
Gerhard Nagl
Danube Environmental Forum (DEF)
Gerhard.Nagl@donaufluss.de
Iran
River Conferences Raise Awareness in Iran
Multiple events were held around Iran in honor of the Day of Action For Rivers. Including a conference in Northern cities and in Tehran to raise awareness about rivers and human rights. There was also a picnic for child laborers held near the Jaajrud River. As part of the communications for this day Iran Watchers translated the Day of Action For River's logo into Farsi.
Contact:
Iran Watchers
iranwatchers@gmail.com
Jordan
Let the Jordan River Flow
Friends of the Earth Middle East released a press release and a song composed by youth from Palestine, Israel and Jordan about the Jordan River on behalf of the International Day of Action for Rivers. Read the lyrics to "Let the Jordan River Flow."
Contact:
Elizabeth Ya'ari
Friends of the Earth Middle East
elizabeth@foeme.org
Spain
Protest Against Bank's Investment in Ilisu Dam
Groups in Spain staged a protest at the Annual General Meeting of the Spanish bank BBVA, which has acquired 24.9 % of the Turkish Garanti Bank which is funding the Ilisu dam, in Turkey. The AGM was held on March 10 and 11.
A Song For the Rivers
In Zaragoza, river and environmental activists gathered together to celebrate the Day of Action For Rivers. Organized by Coordinators of People Affected by Large Dams and Water Transfers (COAGRET) and friends from Mountaineers in Action (ANSAR), the event was held in solidarity with people affected by dam projects in Mularroya, Biscarrués and by the regrowth of the Yesa Dam. At the gathering participants sang a song symbolic of the struggle against dams on the Aragon River, it is called "La Habanera Triste."
Contact:
Julian Ezquerra
COAGRET
coagret@coagret.com
River Film Festival
In honor of the International Day of Action For Rivers, Rios Con Vida is celebrated its second annual River Films Festival at the "Filmoteca de Extremadura." They showed the following films: "River of No Return", "Wild River" and "Dead Nature." Read a press release from the event here.
Contact:
Pedro Brufao
pbrufao@hotmail.com
Symbolic Eviction for the River Aragon
The association for the River Aragon and La Plataforma Yesa +NO Life+ YES celebrated the International Day of
Action For Rivers with actions in Yesa and Sanguesa. They held a large protest in front of the Environment Ministry denouncing the negative impacts of the Biscarrués Dam on the River Aragon. Groups held a "symbolic eviction" of those in power, showing that better decisions need to be made and alternatives to these destructive projects found.
Contact:
Asociación Río Aragón
rio.aragon@yesano.com
Protest Against Biscarrués Dam in the Capital
Groups held a demonstration outside of the Ministry of Environment in Madrid to protest the construction of the Biscarrués Dam on the River Aragón. They carried out a symbolic eviction of people who would be displaced by the dam.
Contact:
Erika Gonzalez
erikagonzalezbriz@gmail.com
Turkey
12 actions were organized in 11 different cities in Turkey. More than 1000 people from 13 NGOs: Turkish Water Assembly (TSM), Nature Society (DOGA), Nature Actions Group (DAG), Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive, Free Munzur Initiative, Platform of Water, Friendship of Streams, Platform of Loc Valley, Committee for protection of Munzur, Friendship of Alakir, Collective of Kaldirimtasi and Kurdish Society (Kurt-Der)) joined the actions in the cities of Istanbul, Rize, İzmit, Antayla, Batman, Sirnak, Tunceli, Agri, İzmir, Kocaeli and Kayseri.
The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of... River Activists
Nature Action Group (DAG) along with partners and friends took to the mountains and caves in honor of the International Day of Action For Rivers. Different groups climbed to the top of the Ararat Mountains near the city of Agri (East region), to the top of the Ballikaya Mountains, near the city of Kocaeli (Marmara Region), to the top of Mt Erciyes outside the city of Kayseri and to the top of Mt Kizlarsivrisi in the city of Antalya. One group also climbed into the Cinkuyu Cave next to the Yuvacik Dam, near the city of Izmit (Marmara Region.) At all of these sites, the groups displayed banners which they had brought or created signs in the snow which read "we wont give away Anatolia!"
River Parade in Antalya
Action in the city of Antalya
(Mediterranean Region). A youth group (Kaldirim Kolektifi and Alakir
Kardesligi) made a symbolic river out of fabric which they marched
through the streets. They also sent out a press release. You can see a
video of the action here.
Contact:
Tuba Kilic
The Nature Society
dicle.tuba@gmail.com
City Marches Across Turkey
In the cities of İzmir (Aegean region), Tunceli (East Region) and Şırnak (South-East Region), locals gathered to hold symbolic marches to the city center in honor of the Day of Action For Rivers. In Tunceli and Sirnak these groups also sent out press releases about their actions.
Contact:
Tuba Kilic
The Nature Society
dicle.tuba@gmail.com
Day of Demonstration in the Capital
There was a demonstration led by River Movements in Istanbul in celebration of the Day of Action For Rivers and in solidarity with groups taking action throughout Turkey.
Contact:
Serhat Resul
River Movements
serhatresul@hotmail.com
Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive
An event was put on by the in Batman city, including a press declaration and performance. Turkish celebrity Don Quisot was present to show his support. Batman city is close to both the River Tigris and Hasankeyf.
Contact:
Ercan Ayboga
Initiative to keep Hasankeyf
e.ayboga@gmx.net
Fire For Anatolia
People from the Senoz Valley in the city of Rize, joined with the Nature Society (DD) to light a "Fire for Anatolia" against dams, in front of the construction site of a power station.
This construction has been stopped by local people many times. They will continue to make this fire every day until the big Anatolian protest walk against dams which begins on April 9th.
Contact:
Tuba Kilic
The Nature Society
dicle.tuba@gmail.com