TRNC Water Supply Project (Ø1600mm HDPE Pipes)
Turkish engineers carried the water 66.5 kilometers to Northern Cyprus with a method tried for the first time in the world. A 250-meter-deep road was created, stabilized by concrete blocks sunk into the bottom of the sea. Pipes of 500 meters each reached Cyprus by being joined together on this line.
The Project of the Century TRNC Water Supply Project, Sea Crossing Transmission Line was officially opened on 16.10.2015. The line was opened with ceremonies that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also attended. Ceremonies were held both in Turkey and in the TRNC for the waterline, which is shown as the project of the century. The project draws attention with its technology, which is tried for the first time in the world.
In the TRNC Water Supply Project, the 66.5 km Sea Crossing Transmission Line was formed by mechanically connecting HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) monolithic pipes, each with a nominal diameter of 1600 mm and a length of 500 meters.
The sea crossing pipeline pipes were laid on the seabed in the coastal areas of Turkey and TRNC, buried until they reached a depth of 20 meters, and between 20 meters and 280 meters of water depth, their stability was ensured by concrete weight blocks. This method was tried for the first time in the world.
Why was that done?
The project was built with a special technique, as the pressure level at the bottom of the sea made it impossible to transfer water through pipes. The 80,151-meter-long pipeline, built by Turkish engineers, was transported to the TRNC with a kind of vault system hangers installed at a depth of 250 meters, not from the seabed. The seismic activity in the region was examined with geological surveys for the submarine water line and earthquake catalogs were created. In order to determine the current and wave regime of the sea, oceanographic researches were carried out and 12 months of data were collected. In order to determine whether high-density polyethylene pipes deteriorate under water, an experiment was conducted with 11 full-scale pipes, and measurements were made at 6-month intervals for 2 years. A wave model was created on the computer by collecting important storm records of 30 years. The model was calibrated using data collected by oceanographic surveys.
The soil is not tired, the crop will be harvested 2-3 times
With the project, drinking, domestic and industrial water will be supplied to the TRNC, which still suffers from water shortage due to limited underground and surface water resources, and its water needs until 2045 will be met. High income increases will be achieved with irrigated agriculture. The island's long and hot summers, short and mild winters, and its very fertile soil will allow 2.3 times the annual crop yield.
Water will come from Alaköprü to Geçitköy
TRNC Water Supply Project; The Geçitköy Dam constructed in the TRNC with a line of 106 km in total, 23 km from the Turkish side, 80 km (66.5 km of suspended pipe system) and 3 km from the TRNC side of the water to be stored in the Alaköprü Dam built on the Anamur Dragon Stream on the Turkish side. It is transferred to .
The first start for this project was given in 2011 with the construction of Alaköprü dam. Then, the Transmission Line between the Alaköprü Dam Balancing Tank, the Balancing Tank and the Balancing Tank-Sea Inlet Valve Room was constructed. A large plant was built on the shore for the manufacture of pipes.
On the TRNC side, Güzelyalı Pumping Station, Güzelyalı Pumping Station Geçitköy Dam, Transition Line, Geçitköy Dam, Geçitköy Pumping Station were built.
The construction of the 161 km long Kyrenia Region Potable Water Pipeline, the 154 kilometer long Famagusta Region Potable Water Pipeline, and the 96 kilometer long Dipkarpaz Region Potable Water Pipeline are under construction.
It has a lifespan of 125 years
Thanks to the experiments, it has been calculated that the fatigue life of the system that will carry water from under the sea to the TRNC is 125 years and the creep life is more than a thousand years. Thanks to the transmitters and sensors to be installed on the pipes, possible damages will be detected in advance and interventions will be made in a timely manner. Salinity sensors will be kept in operation at all times in case of leakage in the pipes. In the coastal crossing sections, where the line will be laid buried in the seabed, ditching has been completed by dredging with the ship.
The cost of the project is 1.6 billion TL
The project cost approximately 1 billion 600 million TL. TRNC Water Supply Project, which started with the groundbreaking ceremony of Alaköprü Dam on March 7, 2011; The Geçitköy Dam constructed in the TRNC with a total 106 km line of water to be stored in the Alaköprü Dam built on the Anamur Dragon Stream on the Turkish side, 23 km on the Turkish side, 80 km on the sea crossing, 66.5 km on the suspended pipe system and 3 km on the TRNC side. It covered the transfer to . With the project, 75 million cubic meters of water was delivered to the TRNC annually, and 37.76 million cubic meters of this water was allocated to drinking-use and industrial water, and the remaining 37.24 million cubic meters to irrigation water.
