Country Turkey Status Under construction Height 66 m Construction began 2008 | Purpose Water supply, military Impounds Ortasu River Owner State Hydraulic Works | |
 | ||
Location Uludere, Şırnak Province Type of dam Gravity, roller-compacted concrete Construction cost 43.84 million USD (TL68,500,000) People also search for Musatepe Dam, Balli Dam, Aslandağ Dam, Çetintepe Dam | ||
The Kavşaktepe Dam is a gravity dam under construction on the Ortasu River (a tributary of the Hezil River) in Uludere district of Şırnak Province, southeast Turkey. Under contract from Turkey's State Hydraulic Works, Be-Ha-Se Insaat began construction on the dam in 2008 and a completion date has not been announced.
The reported purpose of the dam is water storage and it can also support a 1.57 MW hydroelectric power station in the future. Another purpose of the dam which has been widely reported in the Turkish press is to reduce the freedom of movement of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants. Blocking and flooding valleys in close proximity to the Iraq–Turkey border is expected to help curb cross-border PKK smuggling and deny caves in which ammunition can be stored. A total of 11 dams along the border; seven in Şırnak Province and four in Hakkâri Province were implemented for this purpose. In Şırnak they are the Silopi, Şırnak, Uludere and Balli Dams downstream of the Kavşaktepe Dam and the Musatepe and Çetintepe Dams upstream on the Ortasu River. In Hakkari are the Gölgeliyamaç (since cancelled) and Çocuktepe Dams on the Güzeldere River and the Aslandağ and Beyyurdu Dams on the Bembo River.