Entering the 2nd year of the great destruction; Hatay's problems are heartbreaking!

On February 6, 2025, we will enter the second year of the disaster of the century. Our media will go to the region and extend the microphone to earthquake survivors in the 2nd year of the great destruction. Pro-government media will most likely broadcast from Adıyaman and Maraş. They will extend the microphone to people who have reached their TOKİ homes and built a new life in their warm nests. I wish the people of every city destroyed by the earthquake could have achieved this happiness.

The problems of the ancient city of Antakya, which hosted tourists from all over Turkey and the world before the great destruction, is a holy city of three monotheistic religions, has a history dating back centuries, where Ramadan, Easter, and Passover were celebrated together, and is a symbol of tolerance, brotherhood, and the table of civilizations, are heartbreaking.

In Antakya, Defne, and Samandağ, most citizens still live in containers. According to official figures, the population living in container cities is over 250 thousand.

-The biggest problem for the people of Hatay is the long hours of power outages. Power outages reaching 8-9 and even 12 hours have made the public's life miserable. People living in container cities heat themselves with air conditioning. Not having electricity means not being able to heat, not being able to cook, water cuts, internet cuts, students not being able to study, and facing security problems.

The power outages in Hatay were brought to the Parliament's agenda by CHP Hatay Deputy Mehmet Güzelmansur, but the problem has still not been solved. Due to the long hours of power outages, the elderly, the sick, pregnant women, and children are at great risk.                  

-The second vital problem; in the TOKİ houses delivered as a result of the lottery in Antakya, people still do not know how much they will pay for the houses they will move into. What is the government waiting for?

- Another problem; The lottery for unfinished houses. People whose names are drawn in the lottery cannot take delivery of their houses immediately and are kept waiting for months.

- The city has turned into a giant construction site. Many parts of the city are closed off with construction sites. Construction machinery works 24 hours a day. The construction of buildings in the reserve area continues at full speed. Government officials state that all reserve houses will be delivered by December 31, 2025, at the latest. However, there are still areas where construction has not yet started.

- There is no significant return to Syria from the container city in Antakya where 10 thousand Syrians live. Despite the official announcement that 50 thousand Syrians have returned to their country from Turkey, the Syrians in Antakya must find living in the container city more reliable than returning to their country, as many Syrians I spoke to give the answer, "If the Turkish government does not send us, we do not want to go." They state that security cannot be fully ensured in Syria, they do not want to put their families and children in danger, and that the uncertainty they will face when they return to Syria is more dangerous than the safe environment in Turkey.

In short, as we enter the second year of the great destruction, nothing has changed in the lives of the people of Hatay!