By Heidi Trautmann

It is fascinating to see the project growing, visibly! A sort of a life line from Turkey to the North of Cyprus. I heard of the progress they have made in Mersin, 13 km of pipeline, the 26^th piece, have been laid. In August of this year, the Mayor of Mersin, Hasan Basri Güzeloglu has stated, the laying of the pipeline across the water will be realized from a ship, the 500 m pieces joint together will sink to the bottom of the sea until they are brought to Güzelyali where the works for their reception are already underway.  The factory where the long pieces are produced has confirmed that they will last at least for 50 years.

You know where Güzelyali is? It is a piece of coast where the road divides into the directions of  Kayalar and Güzelyurt, where there are nice little beach restaurants from where you can see the sun go down much closer than anywhere else. On last Sunday I visited the meeting point where they have begun to erect the structure to receive the line emerging from the sea after 85 km, a worker told us; the receiving pipe is already installed and will now be led across to join the barrage dam on the other side of the hills;  the pipes are already stored on this end to begin with.

We then went the few kilometres over to Gecitköy – we passed about eight nightclubs! - where the dam is being built or rather extended. The guard at the gate told us that 200 people work on the dam, most of them are from the construction company in Turkey but 30 from Cyprus. One can see that they understand their job.

I will check again in a couple of months and report. How exciting this project is and how reassuring the thought that this barrage lake I have often walked around will never get empty as from 2014?