Confusing 'Gemlik' statement from seismologist Naci Görür

Geologist Prof. Dr. Naci Görür, who attended the Workshop on Looking at the Marmara Earthquake from Gemlik and Disaster Risk Reduction, led by the Gemlik Municipality with contributions from the Istanbul Planning Agency and TMMOB, has caused confusion with his statements regarding Gemlik made six months apart.

At the workshop held in mid-July, Görür used the following expressions:

“Now let me give you some good news. Studies conducted after the 1999 earthquake, especially in 2003 by Germans, Americans, and our friends from Turkey, showed that after the Değirmendere Fault or that section of the North Anatolian Fault ruptured and produced the 1999 earthquakes, it reduced the stress on this main fault along the Geyve Fault until it reached Iznik."

"WHERE ARE WE GOING TO MOVE GEMLIK?"

Responding to the question at the workshop, “News reports emerged that Gemlik was being moved with a Decree Law (KHK). What do you think about this? Can Gemlik be moved? Can a city be moved with a Decree Law?”, Görür had stated: “Let's move Gemlik, but there are many places like Gemlik. There are at least 25 provinces in Turkey that have developed directly on active faults, with active, lively faults passing right underneath them. What are we going to move where? Therefore, let's move Gemlik, but where are we going to move Istanbul? Where are we going to move the Marmara Region? Where are we going to move Tekirdağ or Denizli? This is a strange thing. This is somewhat due to ignorance. Those who voice these things are ignorant.”

"GEMLIK MUST ABSOLUTELY BE MOVED"

Appearing as a guest on journalist Candaş Tolga Işık's television program ‘Az Önce Konuştum’ two weeks ago, Prof. Dr. Naci Görür made the following statement regarding Gemlik: “Our government foresaw this. I think they even issued a law. They decided to move Gemlik. Then some political factors came into play, they gave up on that work, and it stopped. Gemlik must absolutely be moved. Gemlik sits right on the fault, that is, on the southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault that comes through Geyve-Iznik-Gemlik. Where it sits is sandy. It is alluvial fill, full of sea sand. In other words, it has no chance of survival. In my opinion, if there were only weak, single-story houses there, maybe in a way... Perhaps because it was known at one time, there are some places outside of high-density areas. Now, following the trend of rent-seeking, they are trying to build high-rises there. If the southern branch produces an earthquake, Gemlik will not remain at all. In other words, that place will be finished in one way or another. Therefore, it is necessary to move it to the Armutlu peninsula or to the south, to those high, solid grounds. The government's decision to evacuate this place is correct. Whoever blocked this did the wrong thing.”

News Source: İHA