Suruç Water Tunnel

The water tunnel was commissioned by the State Hydraulic Works (DSI) on December 25, 2008.[3] For the building of the water tunnel, Ilci Construction Inc. was contracted.[4] The construction works at an altitude of 580 m (1,900 ft) AMSL began on March 18, 2009.[3][4] The excavation of the water tunnel was carried out with a tunnel boring machine (TBM),[5] which is 152 m (499 ft) long and has a cutting shield of 7.83 m (25.7 ft) diameter.[3][4] The TBM was transported from Italy on 300 trailers, and its assembly completed after twelve months on August 21, 2010.[3] Synchronised with the progress of excavation, the inner walls of the tunnel were lined with 30 cm (12 in) thick precast concrete hexagons.[4] The average daily progress of the excavation works was between 30–40 m (98–131 ft).[3] The water tunnel has an average downhill slope of 0.49% through the Gazientep Formation of the Eocene and Oligocene geological period.[4][6]

The construction cost about ₺2 billion.[1] As part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, it supplies water to agricultural land covering an area of about 950 km² (370 sq mi) in Suruç Valley and to 134 populated places in and around Suruç.[1][2][3][5][6] With its inner diameter of 7 m (23 ft), the water tunnel has a discharge capacity of 90 m³/s (3,200 cu ft/s),[6] which makes it bigger than many rivers in Turkey.[1][3][5] It is expected that the project will create jobs for at least 190,000 people in the region.[2][3][5][6] With irrigation by the Suruç Water Tunnel, over 8,000 farmers will be able to produce more profitable agricultural product.[6] Ministry of Forest and Water Management Veysel Eroğlu stated that its contribution to the country's economy will as much as ₺270 million annually.[2]

• List of long tunnels by type