Our engineer-contractors versus the self-taught

In my recent articles, I wrote about our engineer-contractors who, just as they have developed our country, carry out construction and development activities in 135 other countries around the world, generating approximately 500 billion dollars in foreign currency revenue from international contracting projects. I tried to describe their successes.

I spoke of their contribution to the development of modern Turkey and their companionship to our country on the path of civilization.We produced the documentary titled 'NAFİA' and wrote its book.May God bless TRT and Anadolu University.

The contributions of our engineer-contractors to our work are invaluable.

The question is, "While we have such capable engineers, architects, and a strong sector, why do we die tragically under the rubble with our children during earthquakes?" 

Why do we disappear under columns, beams, and slabs? 

Why can our bodies not be found?

Why do our nameless baby graves haunt our dreams?

Why does our tombstone bear a "number" instead of our "name"? 

Why, you ask? Let's see why!

More than 100 million vehicles have passed through the Eurasia Tunnel, built under the Marmara Sea. 

No vehicle has been reported to have entered the tunnel and failed to come out. 

More than 55 million vehicles have passed over the Osman Gazi Bridge.

No vehicle has been reported to have fallen into the sea.

The number of passengers using Marmaray has approached one billion. No passenger has been reported to have drowned yet.

It is said that 250,000 vehicles cross the Istanbul bridges daily.

No vehicle has been reported as having plunged into the Bosphorus yet.

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles have used the Istanbul-Izmir Motorway.

No vehicle has been reported as having fallen into a pothole yet. 

More than 3,000 planes have taken off and landed at our Istanbul-Ankara-Antalya airports daily. 

No plane has been reported as failing to lift its wheels off the runway or failing to touch down on the runway yet.  

The world's largest reinforced concrete dam has been built.

Not a single drop of water leakage has been reported.

The Çanakkale Bridge has only recently been built, but there have been no reported malfunctions there so far. 

What happened that caused more than 400,000 of our homes to collapse and more than 50,000 of our people to die in the Maraş Earthquake? Our infrastructure exploded.

I know the answer. 

For instance, if we had rules similar to the ones below, would the result have been the same?

If we had our projects carried out by licensed engineer-contractors who possess technical competence, employ professional and qualified engineers, and are experts in infrastructure and superstructure,

If we had put a stop to the thugs who are illiterate and jump into the construction sector after selling their cattle,

If we had revoked the licenses of the nearly 300,000 self-taught contractors in public records,

If we had not given airtime to those who spout nonsense on television about how they 'built low-quality constructions',

If we had made Building Inspection Companies more public and institutional,

If we had established a system that continuously monitors the quality control process of concrete production facilities, which are the most important building blocks,

If we had established a serious project inspection system for building projects of 3-4 stories or more,

If we had ensured that the project design of projects, especially those over 7-8 stories, was carried out by licensed engineers who have undergone specialized training,

No, this destruction would not have happened.

We would have survived this disaster with minor damage, just like Japan or Chile. 

However, we could not stop the greedy ones who have been endangering our lives and property for the last fifty years. 

We failed to stop them to such an extent that even Yeşilçam could not remain indifferent to the issue.

The 1979 film 'Bereketli Topraklar Üzerinde' (On Fertile Lands), directed by Erden Kıral and written by Tuncel Kurtiz (based on Orhan Kemal's 1954 novel of the same name), actually foresaw the disaster that would befall us back then through the 'lament of a foreman'. 

The result:

Unless our engineer-contractors stand up, raise their voices, and open a front against the self-taught contractors—unless we clear the system of these riff-raff charlatan builders who drive luxury vehicles bought from scrap, wear cheap underwear bought five for 10 liras under stretch pants from luxury stores, and dictate the industry while sitting cross-legged in hookah cafes in their pointed, shiny shoes—we will not be able to avoid being thrown into the same bag.

Our goal is that when the game is over, the king and the pawn are not put into the same bag.

At this rate, those who built the Eurasia Tunnel and the Deriner Dam will end up in the same bag as those who caused the deaths of more than 50,000 people. 

And, if you'll pardon the expression, we will not be able to save the reputation of our profession.