Construction Projects Harming the Natural System, an Ongoing Debate

The damage to nature in Türkiye, caused by construction, is increasing every day. In previous articles, we have explored the constructions as the consequences of forest fires along the coastal side of Türkiye. Every year, there are more hotels built in places that were impacted by the great forest fires of the previous years.

A debate related to such issues has been rising, especially in the recent decades. A highlight of these debates is the Canal Istanbul project. This project has caused controversy regarding its possible economic consequences and environmental harms it poses. Starting in February, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change mentioned some regulations and legislations related to zoning, which covers an are of more than 8 million square meters. This area is within the Canal Istanbul Yenişehir Reserve Building area, located in Sazlıbosna, Arnavutköy. The first stage of the project covers 33,674 hectares.

In the case of the Canal Istanbul Yenişehir Reserve Building area, a recent decision of “EIA not required” was made for the construction of 24,874 houses, which are expected to drown Istanbul’s one of the last few efficient, fertile lands into concrete. Housing Development Administration of the Republic of Türkiye is now able to build houses in this area that will be worth more than 65 billion.

Photograph from the area, Finans Gündemi

Before this decision was made, the government firstly launched a process called the Environmental Impact Assessment process on the 12th of February that is focusing on the building of more than 12,016 houses as a project led by TOKİ, Housing Development Administration of the Republic of Türkiye. It was estimated to cost 30.6 billion Turkish liras. Two days later, another Environmental Impact Assessment application was submitted for an additional 12,858 houses, with the cost of 34.7 billion Turkish Liras. These resulted in 24,874 houses in total. Moreover, these houses will be built on areas that are normally designated to be fields or raw soil for the land registry. All these cumulatively are expected to result in a 65.3 billion Turkish Lira real estate value.

However, despite all these concerns, on March 13, the Istanbul Governor’s Office declared that such a report was not necessary, which yields the floor for the construction. Thus, the questions about the Sazlıdere Dam, which was cut off from Istanbul’s supply of drinking water by a 2022 presidential declaration, have increased. Additionally, the buildings are required by the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) to be over 25.6 meters tall to mitigate flood risks, which may further disrupt the ecosystem.

The construction projects are fastened, and the region is already impacted negatively, with altered ecological conditions. The long-term consequences are expected to be even more devastating, mainly because of these unchecked urbanization steps. Debates related to such constructions, in this case especially Canal Istanbul, will probably highlight the struggle of economical and environmental steps in Türkiye; this will reinforce the lack of adequate government regulations.

Edited by: Ömer Gökce, Yağmur Ece Nisanoğlu