Ali Kalçık, President of the Van Environmental and Historical Artifacts Preservation Association (Van Çev-Der), exposed the dumping of wastes to Zap and said: “The trustee does not know the environment and nature of the region. It is the loyal representative of this government that does not protect and kills nature.”

Zap Water, after originating in the mountains of Baskale district of Van, passes through Zap Valley between Hakkari and Van, Northern Kurdistan and Southern Kurdistan, joins with the Tigris River and flows into Iraq and then into the Persian Gulf via Kuwait. While giving life to thousands of plants and creatures in the Zap Valley, it is also home to hundreds of endemic creatures.

Zap Water gives life to millions of people, animals and plants living in the countries and cities it passes through. This water, which is very valuable for humanity, is poisoned by the domestic waste of the Hakkari Municipality, which is under the management of the trustee.

Hakkari Municipality co-mayor Cihan Karaman was elected as the Democratic Society Party (DTP) Hakkari Municipality Mayor in 2009, but was dismissed and replaced by state-appointed trustee Fadıl Bedirhanoğlu.

Hakkari received a European-supported grant for a treatment plant that will process all the waste of the city and its districts, and it has been started to be built near the New Bridge. Karaman said: "I hope this facility will be activated in a short time and Zap will get rid of this pollution."

Ali Kalçık said: “The trustee does not know the territory and nature of that region. The domestic waste of a city can be separated and recycled into energy by the municipality to obtain cleaner energy. As they do not do this, the wastes of a province are thrown into the Zap Valley. The waste poured into the Zap Valley burn for up to 24 hours. While the burning waste kills nature, the dirty water leaking from the garbage is poured into Zap Water. Many countries, millions of people and creatures use this water. These wastes can cause poisoning or even the death of living beings. Therefore, dumping garbage in the Zap Valley is an act of violence. Nature is being slaughtered and polluted under everyone’s eyes. This atrocity must end.”