Basque Country: Itoiz under eviction

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday June 16, 2003 17:13 by Xare (Basque IMC)

Guardia civil is evicting Itoiz to flood it and turn it into a damm

On monday 16th of june, after 15 years of non violent resistance the neighbours of the village of Itoiz are being evicted violently by the Spanish para military police: The Guardia Civil. Itoiz lies on the heart of the Longuida Valley which the Spanish Gouvernment and the Navarrian Regional Gouvernment want to flood despite the inhabitants opposition. After the tragic eviction of Nagore two months ago where a man, his family and his cattle were kicked out of their house and had to watch the bulldozers destroying the house they had inhabited for generations. Now 30 people are in Itoiz, a new symbol of resistance of the neoliberal reforms of land and people allocation. The people were into two buildings of the village and the police is arresting them one by one. Itoitz lies in Navarra, in the north of Iruñea - Pamplona, once the village will be emptied and distroyed

For the last 15 years the neighbourgs inhabitting the valley of Itoitz in Navarre have been resisting the constrution of a damm.

The damm they want to build in Itoiz has the following technical data:

-Height of the main gate: 125m
-Height of the auxiliary gate: 28m
-Width of the main gate: 600m
-Hm3 (maximum capacity): en torno a 418Hm3
-Innondated surface: 1099.5 Ha (11Km2)
-Main rivers crossing the gate: Irati and Urrobi
-Villages that need to be totally evicted: Valley of Arce (Artozki, Muniain, Usoz, Ulozi, Osa), Valley of Longuida (Ezkay, Gorraiz, Itoiz, Orbaiz)
-Villages that will be partially evicted: Valley of Arce (Arce, Lakabe, Nagore), Valley of Longuida (Aloz, Rala) and Oroz Betelu
-Affected natural reserves: Gaztelu, Potxe Txintxurrenea, Foz de Iñarbe, 2 Z.E.P.A.S (Zona de
especial proteccion de aves - special areas for the protection of birdlife)

The idea for this project begun during Franco years. During 1985 a platform called "Coordinadora de Itoiz" was created in order to avoid the building of this damm. In 1997, the supreme court
forbide the building of the dam above 506 metters, which was much under the predictions and thus
the building of that damm would be unprofitable.

The reason for this was that there was an area for
the protection of birds. The navarrian regional gouvernment (formed by the catholic right winger
regionalist but very prospanish party UPN) changed the law for the protection of birds just to make sure that the rulling of the supreme court was not more aplicable.

While the "coordinadora" was undertaking a legal fight, some youngsters founded "Solidarios con Itoiz" who started a campaing of social mobilisations in form of demonstrations and nonviolent direct action. In 1996 they cut down the cables needed to transport building materials. A consequence of this actions is that the works for the damm of Itoiz were stopped for almost a year.

One person, Iñaki Garcia Koch, was arrested and lies still in prison for that action. He was accused of kidnapping as in order to do that action a safety worker was blocked by the Solidarios.

Why is this damm being built?
According to the government of Navarra, a canal (canal de NAvarra) will take water from the humid
pyrenees to the much drier agricultural areas of the southern Rivera close to the Ebro River.

But in order to regulate this it was enough to fill up the damm to 506 meters high as ordered by the Supreme court. ¿Then what could be a hidden reason? The Ebro river is being deviated towards the south of the mediterranean. The region is known as Levante (Valencia, Murcia and north east Andalucia).

A huge artificial canal shall take water from the ebro Valley into the touristic industry of the mediterranean coast (swimming pools, Water Parks, golf courses in middle of nearly desertic areas, over explotation of the coast ...). Such plan is a will from Spanish Nationalism whilling to give Spain unity and glory over what they call petty selfish periferal nationalisms.