Construction machine enters village with single water source in Fethiye! 7 villagers detained

In the Söğütlü neighborhood of Muğla’s Fethiye district, villagers continue to resist the decision to redirect their only water source to a hydroelectric power plant (HES) and then to the neighborhoods of Seydikemer. According to reports from Gündem Fethiye, as the villagers maintained their vigil, Fethiye District Governor İsmail Ertaş and Fethiye Mufti Kamil Oktay visited the area.

Governor Ertaş first spoke with the muhtar (village head), the village council members, and the elders. He mentioned he was working on a solution to share the water, proposing that it be divided equally. However, the village head and residents explained their 1,570 acres of irrigated land would be severely affected, noting that three of their existing water sources had already been redirected through the HES to Seydikemer villages.

Despite Ertaş’s efforts to mediate, he requested that the villagers leave the vigil area. The villagers expressed that during their discussions, an HES official had threatened them, saying, “We will have you handcuffed.” In response, Ertaş instructed the gendarmerie to investigate the matter.

The villagers rejected a proposal of 90 liters per second, arguing that it would not be sufficient to irrigate their land, and Ertaş left the area.

After governor’s departure, around 6:00 PM, construction machines, under the protection of gendarmerie forces, entered the Akçay stream and began work to redirect the water. When the villagers tried to stop the work, the gendarmerie intervened, leading to the arrest of seven villagers, who were handcuffed behind their backs. The machines, under the protection of the gendarmerie, successfully redirected the water.