Southeastern Anatolia Project

The Southeastern Anatolia Project (Turkish: Güneydoğu Anadolu Projesi, GAP) is a multi-sector integrated regional development project based on the concept of sustainable development for the 9 million people (2005) living in the Southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey. GAP's basic aim is to eliminate regional development disparities by raising people's income level and living standards; and to contribute to such national development targets as social stability and economic growth by enhancing the productive and employment generating capacity of the rural sector. The total cost of the project is 42.1 billion Turkish lira (TL) (2010 adjusted price), of which 30.6 billion TL of this investment was realized at the end of 2010. The real investment (corrected value) was 72.6% for the end of 2010. The project area covers nine provinces (Adıyaman, Batman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kilis, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, and Şırnak) which are located in the basins of the Euphrates and Tigris and in Upper Mesopotamia.

Current activities under GAP include sectors such as agriculture and irrigation, hydroelectric power production, urban and rural infrastructure, forestry, education and health. Water resources envisages the construction of 22 dams and 19 power plants (nine plants which corresponds to 74% capacity of total projected power output was reached by 2010) and irrigation schemes on an area extending over 17,000 square kilometres. Seven airports have been finished and active. The GAP cargo airport in Şırnak, which also the biggest in Turkey, has been completed.

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