Prof. Dr. Pelin Pınar Giritlioğlu explains Kanal Istanbul: 'What is Erdoğan being stubborn about? Istanbul will be left without water'

Hazal Güven - 12punto.com.tr 

Following the conviction of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Kanal Istanbul project, about which experts have issued serious warnings, has resurfaced. It has emerged that after President Erdoğan's visit to the project area last month, advertisements for Kanal Istanbul have begun to circulate again in the Arab media. 

Prof. Dr. Pelin Pınar Giritlioğlu, an expert from the Istanbul University Department of Urbanization and Environmental Problems who has been fighting against the project since its first day, explained the current situation at the construction site and the potential consequences of the project to 12punto. 

"What is Erdoğan being stubborn about? Who is he being stubborn with, and what is the result of this stubbornness? Whoever he is being stubborn with, the result of this stubbornness will be the destruction of nature, the destruction of our forests, and the destruction of our water basins and agricultural-pasture lands," said Giritlioğlu, adding, "Irreparable damage has already occurred." 

Giritlioğlu stated the following: 

You last visited the region with TMMOB. What did you observe? 

"When we last visited the region as a TMMOB delegation, an expert inspection was conducted, and we saw that constructions were popping up like mushrooms in the area and that the bridge pier for the Sazlıdere Dam had begun to be built. Therefore, we witnessed that construction was continuing and tenders were being awarded unlawfully while the lawsuits were still ongoing. In fact, there is no legally concluded situation. The most important thing that needs to be done right now is to issue stay-of-execution decisions regarding the lawsuits filed. Because irreparable damage has already occurred."

‘THE REGION WILL BE CONDEMNED TO WATER SCARCITY’

What is Erdoğan being stubborn about? Who is he being stubborn with, and what is the result of this stubbornness? Whoever he is being stubborn with, the result of this stubbornness will be the destruction of nature, the destruction of our forests, and the destruction of our water basins and agricultural-pasture lands. It will mean Istanbul and the region being condemned to water scarcity. It will mean the arrival of climate crises and the ecological balance being turned upside down. Therefore, there is actually no justification for such stubbornness. I mean, I don't know if he is being stubborn with the public or the opposition, but the result of this stubbornness will lead to what I just listed.

When we look at the project area, the region we call Kanal Istanbul covers the Northern Forests, which supply water to Istanbul and the region and which Europe says 'must be protected urgently,' and includes wildlife, agricultural, and pasture lands. We are losing it for the sake of stubbornness. Now, because the lawlessness continues here, construction is increasing. A significant amount of agricultural land has already been lost. The water of the Sazlıdere Dam has been cut off. Moreover, the Sazlıdere Dam is a dam that alone supplies 24 days of water to Istanbul."

You mentioned water scarcity. However, it is said that this problem can be solved with other water sources. What do you say? 

"When we look at artificial canals in the world, there is no such project. One that consumes its own resources and then looks for resources here and there. They say the following about Kanal Istanbul; 'We are building new dams. They will meet the water needs of Sazlıdere.' This is not accurate information. Because those dam projects were started before Kanal Istanbul and were planned as dams that would serve the current population of Istanbul at that time. However, Kanal Istanbul adds at least 2 million people on top of this. The current plan in effect is Istanbul's 1/100,000 scale plan, and in this, Istanbul's 2030 population was calculated as 16 million. All these water resources were also planned according to this 16 million. We have already reached 20-21 million, and we are gradually narrowing our water resources. Unfortunately, there is no rational explanation for this."

Recently, we saw that advertisements for the project were also featured in the Arab media. It is generally presented as a “social housing project.” What do you think? 

"In society, it is known as just a canal being built, but behind this, there is a very serious real estate and property project. We are a city waiting for an earthquake. We are building residential areas on top of three active fault lines. We are building on stream beds. In other words, constructions that are contrary to all urban planning principles, planning foundations, and public interest are rising there right now. These constructions are being tried to be legitimized under the name of 'social housing.' This is wrong from two perspectives. First, what is being built is not social housing. Look at the prices and you will see." 

‘WE ARE DEVELOPING WHAT WE CALL A RESERVE AREA’

Second, even if it were social housing, it should not be in that region. In other words, that region should not have been opened to construction in any way. Look at the definition of a reserve area in world literature; you will always see them as sensitive ecological areas to be protected. Kanal Istanbul is such a region. It is correct for it to be a reserve, but our understanding of a reserve and the world's understanding of a reserve are not the same. They truly protect what they call a reserve area. We are developing what we call a reserve area.

Our most fundamental justification in the lawsuits we filed against Kanal Istanbul was this; we said that these plans are contrary to the purpose of a reserve area. But when you look at the Kanal Istanbul plans, what do you see? Marinas, ecotourism, creating brand value, special project areas that grant privileged zoning amnesties, etc. In our lawsuits, we asked what all of this has to do with preparing for a disaster. No matter how you look at it, it is an unlawful process. It started this way and it is continuing that way."

The project also has a waterway component. What is the latest situation there? 

"The expected funding for the waterway project did not arrive. Therefore, that waterway component will continue slowly until a source of finance is found. But that part is also very dangerous. There are 7 vehicle bridges and one railway bridge on it. Each of these bridges is about as large as the Bosphorus Bridge. One is even larger. Let's think about the traffic torment that Istanbul experiences every day. It is also necessary to think about what kind of traffic load will come with the new bridges and what kind of population explosion will occur. All of these actions are also contrary to the Environmental Plan. In other words, whatever the Environmental Plan says, Kanal Istanbul does the opposite. It has an approach that destroys the concept of planning as well. Incredible tenders have been awarded, and dozens of companies have received tenders in the region. The tenders received by just 8 of them are around 30 billion. What is our priority in this city? Why are we investing in a meaningless project like Kanal Istanbul when there is so much hunger, misery, and we do not have enough public space? I don't think there is any rational answer to this."