Protests are mounting in Dersim against a planned project to mine pumice and sand. Residents and environmental groups warn of environmental destruction, cultural loss, and the threat of depopulation and have taken legal action.
In the province of Dersim (tr. Tunceli), resistance is forming against the planned construction of a pumice and sand mine that would encompass four villages in the districts of Hozat and Pertek. According to a decision by the Turkish governor on April 28, no environmental impact assessment (ÇED) is required for the project by the construction company “Arven Doğu Yapı” on an area of 2,200 hectares – a decision that has been met with sharp criticism from the local population.
The residents of the affected villages of Bargini, Zeve, Orcan, and Desiman, together with the environmental platform Hozat-Pertek-Sekasur, have filed a lawsuit before the administrative court in the neighboring province of Erzincan. They warn of the ecological, economic, and cultural consequences of the project. The local population is particularly concerned about the destruction of a region that is considered the cultural memory of Dersim and includes several places revered as sacred.
“We live on livestock farming and beekeeping. Open-cast mining is destroying our livelihoods and our history,” Hüseyin Baran from the village of Bargini told the Mezopotamya news agency (MA). He pointed to the spiritual significance of the region, which is a destination for religious pilgrims and home to a memorial for the victims of the 1937/38 genocide.
Kezban Kent from Zeve also strongly opposes the project: “When mining begins, we will lose not only our environment, but also our future.” The communities affected say that they have not been involved in the decision-making process and fear long-term damage to nature and the loss of agricultural land.
Songül Koyun, chairwoman of the Sultan Hıdır Cemevi (Alevi place of worship), emphasized the historical dimension of the resistance: “What could not be achieved by force in 1938 is now being attempted through the destruction of our natural environment.” She announced that the protests will continue until the project is stopped once and for all.
The case is being handled by lawyer Sinan Can, who warns that the planned mining not only endangers the environment and water resources, but also the cultural heritage of Dersim: “There are listed sites, sacred places, and unique ecosystems with many endemic species here. The open-cast mine is more than an economic project – it represents a deliberate intervention in the collective memory of the region.”
The case is currently pending before the Erzincan Administrative Court. Until a decision is reached, protests by local residents and civil society organizations will continue.
