The U.S.-based company IGNIS plans to establish a geothermal energy plant (JES) in the district of Varto (Gimgim) in Muş. The project has drawn serious backlash from the public, especially from the people of Varto. Among those criticizing the project is politician Demir Çelik. Çelik emphasized that the project is not merely an energy investment but represents a multidimensional destruction targeting nature, society, and culture.
Demir Çelik, who is also from Varto, was elected mayor of the city in the 2004 local elections. He served as co-chair of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) between 2008 and 2010. In the 24th term, he served as an HDP deputy for Muş, and in the previous period he was co-chair of FEDA.
‘Drilling planned that will affect 20 villages’
Çelik stated that the U.S.-based IGNIS company is planning drilling operations in villages mostly inhabited by Kurdish Alevis in Varto. He said: “It is stated that drilling will be carried out in an area that will directly affect more than 20 villages. The same company previously conducted similar work in the districts of Karlıova and Yedisu in Bingöl. Now they want to move these activities to Varto.”
Drawing attention to the geological structure of the region, Çelik said: “This wide geography stretching from Bingöl to Erzurum and from Muş to Karlıova lies at the intersection of the North Anatolian Fault and the East Anatolian Fault Line. In this region, which already has an extremely high earthquake risk, drilling operations that will reach depths of up to 3 kilometers could trigger seismic activity. This fact cannot be ignored.”
‘Heavy metals will poison the soil’
Çelik warned about the destruction that geothermal projects could cause, especially emphasizing the risk of heavy metals: “Heavy metals such as boron, arsenic, mercury, and magnesium extracted from underground will mix with the soil. These substances do not disappear for thousands of years. They poison the soil, make it barren, and lead to desertification. In such a situation, production becomes impossible and people are forced to leave the geography where they live.”
Çelik also stated that not only the soil but the air would face serious risks: “Gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide will be released. These gases are extremely dangerous both for human health and for nature. Because of their toxic properties, they directly affect animals, vegetation, and all life.”
‘Groundwater will be polluted, diseases will increase’
Emphasizing that groundwater is also under great threat, Çelik said: “Carcinogenic substances such as arsenic and radon emerging from depths of 3 kilometers will mix with groundwater. Water sources fed by these waters will become polluted. Humans and animals will be exposed to these substances. This will lead to an increase in many diseases, especially cancer. This situation could turn into clear social destruction.”
Çelik stressed that the real intention behind the project should be questioned: “These projects are presented in the name of development, but in reality they do not create such added value. On the contrary, they destroy nature and make life impossible. This means forcing people off their land. What they could not achieve through weapons or forced displacement, they want to achieve through such projects.”
‘This is also cultural and religious destruction’
Çelik underlined that the region is a sacred geography for Alevis who follow the Rêya Heq belief: “People in this geography have built their lives intertwined with nature and sacred places. They attribute sacredness to mountains and water. Therefore, every intervention in nature is also an intervention in their beliefs. This is not only ecocide but also cultural destruction.”
Recalling past hydroelectric and mining projects in Dersim, Çelik said that a similar process is now being attempted in Varto.
He emphasized that the geothermal projects in Varto target not only humans but all living beings: “These projects destroy flora and fauna. Endemic plant and animal species disappear. The ecosystem is fragmented. This means ecocide. As such practices increase, the balance of the planet will also deteriorate.”
Finally, Çelik called for a broad social struggle: “This issue is not only Varto’s issue but all of ours. Ecologists, the women’s movement, faith organizations, democratic mass organizations, and all segments of society must struggle together against this process. If we remain silent, we will experience something much worse here than what happened in Aydın. Therefore, we must expand and embrace this resistance.”
Çelik saluted those leading the struggle against the geothermal project and called for stronger solidarity: “This resistance, this opposition, this uprising must be beyond sects, religions, and beliefs; beyond political parties. Civil society organizations, democratic mass organizations, political parties, faith groups, feminists, ecologists, women’s and labor movements must all take part in this struggle and expand it to stop this development. I send thousands of greetings to those who are part of this resistance, who strengthen it, multiply it, and make it a social cause.”
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