The water tunnel was commissioned by the State Hydraulic Works (DSI) on December 25, 2008.[3] For the building of the water tunnel, Ilci Construction Inc. was contracted.[4] The construction works at an altitude of 580 m (1,900 ft) AMSL began on March 18, 2009.[3][4] The excavation of the water tunnel was carried out with a tunnel boring machine (TBM),[5] which is 152 m (499 ft) long and has a cutting shield of 7.83 m (25.7 ft) diameter.[3][4] The TBM was transported from Italy on 300 trailers, and its assembly completed after twelve months on August 21, 2010.[3] Synchronised with the progress of excavation, the inner walls of the tunnel were lined with 30 cm (12 in) thick precast concrete hexagons.[4] The average daily progress of the excavation works was between 30–40 m (98–131 ft).[3] The water tunnel has an average downhill slope of 0.49% through the Gazientep Formation of the Eocene and Oligocenegeological period.[4][6]
Economics
The construction cost about ₺2 billion.[1] As part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, it supplies water to agricultural land covering an area of about 950 km2 (370 sq mi) in Suruç Valley and to 134 populated places in and around Suruç.[1][2][3][5][6] With its inner diameter of 7 m (23 ft), the water tunnel has a discharge capacity of 90 m3/s (3,200 cu ft/s),[6] which makes it bigger than many rivers in Turkey.[1][3][5] It is expected that the project will create jobs for at least 190,000 people in the region.[2][3][5][6] With irrigation by the Suruç Water Tunnel, over 8,000 farmers will be able to produce more profitable agricultural product.[6]Ministry of Forest and Water ManagementVeysel Eroğlu stated that its contribution to the country's economy will as much as ₺270 million annually.[2]
