Google Earth Community: Itoitz dam, a giant with butter-feet

The Itoitz dam is in Irati river valley, a beautiful river in Nafarroa. It is known by the name of a small village under the water. The slope of the left flank is at risk of slipping.

Among 28 earthquakes recorded by the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN) between Nov. 4 and yesterday Nov. 17 in Itoitz and its vicinity, five have had its epicenter inside of the cup and another five in left flank, the area that is sliding toward the dam.
Since the filling of the dam began more than four and a half years ago are counted 2509 earthquakes of varying intensity.
Nine have exceeded the 3 degrees (Richter scale). The strongest tremor had 4.6 degrees and its epicenter in Lizoain on Sept. 18 2004, which caused cracks in several houses. But 2 minutes later two aftershocks of 3.4 and 3 degrees had epicenter in Nagore, close to the dam. On last year May there were 238!!!
Some people who lived in the village of Agoitz, barely 2 km. below from the dam, has gone to live to elsewhere because they could not endure the fear of a disaster like Vajont dam, Italy.

earthquake in Nagore on March 23 2008, 2.1 degrees (Ministry of Public Works).

During the last 20 years thousands of local people have fought against the Itoitz dam in the Basque Country, arguing that the dam is destructive to nature, a danger to public safety, socially and culturally destructive, and surrounded by a web of governmental corruption ("Urralburu case"). Its construction floods a 35km long (1,100 hectare) valley, an environmentally sensitive area with 5 nature reserves of great ecological value.

Contrary to government statements, this dam doesn´t produce much extra electricity and no serious plans for irrigation exist. Geologists also have doubts about the safety of the dam due to the instability of the surrounding slope.

Amongst the many demonstrations and actions against the dam, the most publicised was the sabotage carried out in 1996 by 8 members of the group Solidari@s con Itoitz, who used circular saws to cut the steel cables of the concrete transporting system in a publicly accountable action. They entered the construction site at dawn with invited members of the press. Two of the group tied up the security guard and disposed of his gun while the other six cut through the 800-metre long cables. The construction of the dam was paralysed for a whole year because of this action. The Solidari*s then gave themselves up to the Guardia Civil (the police force in rural areas). Their reasons for doing an accountable action (as opposed to attempting to escape) were that the building of the dam had been ruled illegal, so they could argue they were merely preventing illegal activities (video).

The 8 activists were arrested, beaten and remanded, but then released on bail after massive demonstrations in Iruñea. They were eventually given 5 year sentences, but in September 1999 they jumped bail before their sentences were due to start, to embark on a European awareness-raising tour. In London they linked up with anti-Narmada dam activists to climb the Millennium Wheel, unfurling banners saying 'Free Narmada, Free Itoiz!' and 'Let the Rivers Run Free!' In Berlin they climbed the Brandenburg Gate and hung banners saying 'SOS Itoiz' and 'Sentenced to 5 Years for Defending Nature'. The following day they were at it again, climbing the Berlin Alexanderplatz TV tower. They also scaled the dome of St. Peter's in the Vatican. They next hit the Hague, doing an action at the International Court of Justice and completely disrupting the opening of the World Water Forum. The tour ended in June 2000 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Three of them were imprisoned in Iruña prison.

In September 1998 two women from Solidari*s con Itoiz sabotaged 54 pieces of machinery being used to build the road from Agoitz to Nagore, which is necessary for the construction of the secondary reservoir, without which the Itoiz dam cannot function. The work on the dam was stopped for several months. In a campaign of 'feminine self-incrimination' 1,600 women signed statements saying they did the sabotage, which were then handed in to the court. As a solidarity action with these two women, who were sentenced to two years in prison, and against the dam, a group of about 30 people bricked up the door of the Spanish embassy in The Hague on June 20th 2000.

The demolition of Itoitz as well as the rest of flooded villages - Nagore, Orbaitz, Ekai, Gorritz, Artozki and Muniain - was a revenge of the Government of Nafarroa against the stubborn opposition to the construction of the Itoitz dam during these 20 years.

Not content with destroying some of the most spectacular valleys of Nafarroa, wipe out life forms, culture and ancient art, banishing the neighborhood, militarize the area, littered with new roads and tracks, at night and treachery "manu militari" they destroyed houses, streets, squares and churches that have remained since 700 years ago. Not even the memory of the dead was respected, desecrating the graves of the cemeteries with their insatiable bulldozers.

It is normal thing to see the bell tower of flooded villages in the summer when the reservoir level drops. Here they did not want it. They did not want to remain the least vestige of life. In the event of failure of the project, they didn´t want the neighborhood could return to their homes still standing. Neither the opposition could make a stand in the buildings to hinder the filling of the dam.

But to demolish before they had to evict people who resisted. There were people injured, but luck did not have to mourn deaths due to the brutality and recklessly that they showed both the Provincial Police and drivers.

Itoitz 20 years