My impressions from Hatay, a giant construction site!

I am in Antakya. It has been 20 months since the earthquake. The city has turned into a giant construction site. Work is proceeding rapidly to build the promised houses until not a single person remains living in a container. Everywhere is full of giant cranes and construction machinery.

Antakya has been divided into 26 zones. Each zone has been tendered to different companies. The commitment of the 12-month tender is for delivery by November 1, 2025. As many houses as there are in that zone will be built.

Although building heights are limited to Ground +4, in areas outside the reserve zones, the zoning plan is the same as the one that existed before the earthquake. In other words, anyone who wishes can build a 10-story building in Antakya.

Municipalities have not changed the floor easement in the city's zoning plan after the earthquake.

There is a serious traffic problem in the city caused by the construction sites. In the container cities, the biggest problem is power outages.

The people of Antakya are happy that construction has started, but unfortunately, anxieties persist because information regarding dates, property ownership, and payments has been insufficient. Although the shimmer of cranes in the sky brings hope through the eyes of children, there is still no clear answer to the question, "When will we enter our homes?" from people squeezed into 21 m2 spaces.

Hatay is the world's largest construction site today. The sound of construction machinery working day and night without stopping, bored piles, and dump truck noises make one's ears ring.

Even though construction continues 24 hours a day, there is no work yet on the city's social infrastructure...

The issue the public complains about the most is the hospital!

The number of specialist doctors at the State Hospital is very low. There are doctors in the emergency room, but no experienced doctors.

The closest private hospital to Antakya is in Reyhanlı. Even if the physical infrastructure is provided, there is a severe shortage of qualified doctors. There is an oncology department, but no oncologist.

There is a chemotherapy unit for cancer patients, but no medication. The physical infrastructure of the hospitals has been provided, but there is a significant shortage of specialist doctors.

Buildings are being built, but there are no parks for children to play in or for people to catch their breath.

A container city for 10 thousand people, consisting of 10 m2 containers each, has been created for Syrians.

The anxiety of the people of Antakya, who live a container life amidst the sounds of construction, is their neighbors! Yes, you read that right. Will the people of Antakya, who lived a multicultural, colorful life before the earthquake, be able to live with their old neighbors in their new neighborhoods?

Will the structures built by these construction sites be able to provide the culture of Antakya, which consists of three civilizations?

Because what matters is not reinforced concrete lives, but the culture of living together!

I hope the never-ending sound of cranes brings not only the solution to the housing problem but also the hoped-for culture of living...