He revealed that truth about firefighting aircraft: Is there sabotage in the fires?

Journalist Fatih Altaylı targeted the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, stating that he finds the efforts against the forest fires that have been growing and increasing in Turkey in recent years to be insufficient. Regarding the Air Tractor type aircraft, which he said have limited firefighting capacity, Altaylı stated the following:

“The planes they claim to have purchased are versions of a crop-dusting plane called Air Tractor. They carry around 150 liters of water. What good are 6 canisters of water? These are not used to put out fires, but at most to pull the wool over people's eyes.”

Altaylı argued that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has failed both technologically and managerially. Stating that the ministry does not display a scientific approach in the fight against forest fires, he continued:

“There is no calculation, no planning, no knowledge. Their minds only work for tenders. Even the planes they lease are not suitable for Turkey's mountainous and valley-filled terrain. They lack the technical capacity to drop water into deep valleys.”

“NOT A MINISTER, BUT A CONTRACTOR FRIEND IS APPOINTED”

Altaylı claimed that the merit-based structure in state cadres has collapsed with the Presidential Government System. Reminding that Minister İbrahim Yumaklı is a business graduate, Altaylı said:

“In the past, even if the minister was not technical personnel, there would be an experienced undersecretary beneath them. Now, that is gone too. Partisan and meritless deputies are being appointed in their place. A vital area like forestry has been surrendered solely to political loyalty.”

“IF THERE IS NO FOREST, THERE IS NO FIRE”

Fatih Altaylı suggested that behind the inability to prevent forest fires lies not only incompetence but also conscious negligence. He continued his criticisms by pointing out that forests are opened for zoning and construction after fires:

“One shouldn't be too pessimistic. If the AKP continues like this, there won't be any forests left anyway. If there is no forest, there is no fire. At this rate, we won't even be able to find a forest to burn soon. Who knows, maybe they passed the mining law for the purpose of fighting forest fires. So we can cut them down before they burn!”

GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF FORESTRY IS PROFITABLE BUT HAS NO BUDGET FOR FIRES

Another institution targeted by Altaylı's criticisms was the General Directorate of Forestry. Referring to the balance sheet data mentioned in the Evrensel newspaper, which shows that the General Directorate of Forestry declared high profits, Altaylı used the following expressions:

“Resources that should be used in the fight against fires are being spent elsewhere. No aircraft, vehicles, equipment, or personnel have been purchased for fires. But the balance sheet is in profit. They probably transferred that profit to the Treasury and paid it toward interest. This is the tragic state the state has reached.”