Diyarbakır (Amed) Metropolitan Municipality issued a written statement regarding the occupation of the Hevsel Gardens and the Dicle River Valley. The municipality reported that the area is facing severe ecological destruction and being gradually devastated due to illegal construction and the dumping of debris.
The statement also addressed the smear campaigns that certain interest groups have recently been spreading through various channels concerning the Hevsel Gardens and the Dicle River Valley, both of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The statement read: “Hevsel Gardens and the Dicle River Valley, located in our central Sur district, carry unique value not only for their agricultural production, but also for their biodiversity, cultural memory and role as a shared living space for the people.
This natural sanctuary, spanning 2,800 decares and serving as the city’s oxygen reservoir, is being destroyed step by step. This habitat is home to more than 180 bird species as well as arthropods, reptiles, otters, Euphrates softshell turtles, foxes, martens, squirrels and hedgehogs. Today, however, it faces a profound human-made catastrophe due to unlawful construction, fertilizers and pesticides used in nearby agricultural lands, and ongoing ecological pressure.
Despite all the measures we have taken, debris is transported almost daily, illegally and through hidden routes, into the Hevsel Gardens and the banks of the Dicle River. Concrete walls continue to rise inch by inch. This destruction disrupts the ecosystem and reduces the number of species, including fish and birds.
Past zoning amnesties and building registration permits issued by provincial authorities enabled small businesses to open within this protected zone. Over time, these have been transformed into large commercial areas. During eight years of trustee administration, dozens of businesses such as teahouses, wedding halls, cafés, grill houses, çiğköfte (a traditional spicy bulgur dish) shops, photography platforms and breakfast venues were granted licenses despite contributing to pollution. The riverbank has been filled almost entirely with rubble and concrete, and noise pollution now disturbs both residents and visitors.
In the face of these accumulating problems, the city’s elected administration is responsible for protecting not only our soil, water and air, but also our cultural heritage and collective values. Growing public reaction clearly shows that people demand an end to ecological destruction. We know that action must be taken against crimes committed against the city, and we are determined to fulfill our responsibility. To halt the deterioration in the Hevsel Gardens and the Dicle River Valley, the issue was discussed extensively within the Provincial Coordination Board convened under the leadership of Governor Murat Zorluoğlu. A decision was made to prepare an action plan, and a dedicated coordination committee has already begun its work.
We reaffirm that we will continue to defend this natural sanctuary. We will not bow to smear campaigns, nor allow the public to be manipulated with misleading information. Our stance is not against any family or company but against those who begin as small businesses and then expand far beyond their limits, polluting our air, water and soil. Our historical responsibility to this city is a duty we must honor. The smear campaigns targeting the Metropolitan Municipality and its co-mayors are driven by efforts to protect existing profit networks. Those who seek to maintain this profit fabricate lies, such as claims that mosques or prayer houses are being demolished, in order to exploit the religious sensitivities of the public.
Our people understand this process well, and we will continue to inform the public openly and transparently. Protecting Hevsel and the Dicle is not merely safeguarding a physical area. It is protecting the breath, the life and the future of this city. This responsibility belongs not only to local administrations but to all components of the city.”