12 thousand households got their drinking water: “We used to carry the water with a wheelbarrow”
In Ağrı Doğubayazıt, there was no drinking water network, and thousands of households in this township did not have taps. Therefore, it wasn't easy to access water in Doğubayazıt.
Mountain Ağrı
“We used to melt snow for water. Thanks to the snow, we used to wash our clothes, make our tea, and drink water,” says Meryem Ertaş, who lives in that area.
Meryem Ertaş, Şadiye İlter, and a local woman.
In the summers, they used to find other ways to supply water: “There is a nearby village. We used to go there and carry the water from there with a wheelbarrow. It was difficult,” says Şadiye İlter, one of the local people.
Mayor of Doğubayazıt Municipality Yıldız Acar together with women and children.
Water is delivered to 14 neighbourhoods
Fortunately, that era is over. Therefore, Mayor of Doğubayazıt Municipality Yıldız Acar begins her speech with the words “those days” and continues:
“We used to try to send water to 14 neighbourhoods with fire tankers. We went through tough times. Then the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change and the European Union approved our drinking water project within IPA 1. And thus, we’ve delivered clean water to 12 thousand households.”
Doğubeyazıt Water Treatment Plant
The women in Doğubayazıt neither melt snow nor carry water from the street fountains anymore.
Twenty-four hours, water, in accordance with European Union (EU) standards, flows from the taps in the houses. Within the scope of the project, of which 85% of the budget was covered by the European Union (EU), 57 kilometres pipeline was laid, and a 204 kilometres water-distribution pipeline was established. Six drinking water tanks, a pumping station and a water treatment plant were built.
Also, the Doğubayazıt Wastewater Project is carried out with the financial support of the EU.
Doğubayazıt Wastewater Project in progress
In the words of the Mayor, “one of the bleeding wounds of the township is sewerage”, and to solve the problem, the Doğubayazıt Wastewater Project is carried out with the financial support of the EU. The ground-breaking ceremony of the wastewater treatment plant was held on June 22, 2022, with the participation of Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut. When the project is completed in 2024, the sewerage problem of 14 neighbourhoods will be solved, as well.
What is the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA)?
The Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) is the means by which the EU has been supporting reforms in the enlargement region with financial and technical assistance since 2007. IPA funds build up the capacities of the beneficiaries throughout the accession process, resulting in progressive, positive developments in the enlargement region. The EU pre-accession funds are a sound investment into the future of both the enlargement region and the EU, providing their citizens with better opportunities. The pre-accession funds also help reach common objectives, including a sustainable economic situation, energy supply, transport, the environment and climate change, and stability.
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