New canal to boost agriculture in southeast

The new Mardin-Ceylanpınar Irrigation Canal, which carries water from the Atatürk Dam in Şanlıurfa to Mardin in southeastern Türkiye, has brought water to agricultural land equivalent to the size of 70,000 football fields.

Within the scope of the Southeastern Anatolian Project (GAP), a multi-sector integrated regional development project, the canal was completed and put into service.

With its 221-kilometer length, the "canal of abundance" will allow the region to harvest crops three times a year and boost farmers' income.

"The Mardin-Ceylanpınar Main Canal is the longest artificial river in Türkiye. At 221 kilometers long, it is longer than the Suez Canal and three times the size of the Panama Canal. The project, which conveys the waters of the Atatürk Dam from Şanlıurfa to Mardin, irrigates 70,000 football fields of agricultural land. When all sections are completed, 349,000 football fields of agricultural land will be irrigated," the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said in a written statement on Aug. 16.

The canal, which will supply water to 1 billion decares of land, cost 2 billion Turkish Liras ($36.8 million). With the canal, 35 percent of the country's grain needs will be met from this region.

"It is a historical event that the water of the Euphrates [River] will meet the fertile lands of upper Mesopotamia," Dursun Yıldız, the head of the Water Policy Association, told daily Milliyet.

Yıldız noted that the project will double agricultural yields, expanding the range of products beyond grains to include citrus fruits and greenhouse farming.

Pointing out that bringing the Euphrates' water to the Mardin Plain will not only benefit the region and Türkiye but will also significantly contribute to neighboring...