Dam operation halted for 20 days to save baby storks in southeastern province

TUNCELİ - Doğan News Agency

A dam in eastern Turkey is waiting for the leave of the storks to go active. AA photo

The operation of a dam in the eastern province of Tunceli has been halted for 20 days to save the lives of three baby storks and many other birds living with them in their nest. The dam will not start working again until the babies are able to fly.

Power generation at the dam, located in the Tatar Dam Lake between the provinces of Tunceli and Elazığ, will be suspended for 20 days which will be enough for baby storks to gain the ability to learn flying.

The suspension came after the personal intervention of Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroğlu, costing an estimated 20 million Turkish Liras in power generation.

The ministry was informed by local non-governmental organizations and Eroğlu then contacted the companies operating the dam.

The operators of the dam accepted Eroğlu’s request and consulted the Nature Protection Office to discover the time it would take for the baby storks to learn how to fly.