Warning from TMMOB: Stop Channel Istanbul Madness

The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) pointed out that the 'Channel Istanbul', which was brought to the agenda by the AKP, will be a demolition and disaster.

TMMOB Chairman Emin Koramaz held a press conference on 7 March 2019 in Istanbul on the Istanbul Channel project that threatens to create damage and splits that will affect the entire region from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea.

WARNING! ISTANBUL MUST BE IMMEDIATELY TO BE CHARGED OF CHANNEL MADE

Numerous planning, scientific research and study results produced by the accumulation of years by hundreds of scientists and professionals, universities, professional chambers, public institutions and organizations for Istanbul and Marmara Region have been ignored; ek Kanal Istanbul s, which is tried to be legitimized by discussing the discourses and assumptions that are not scientific in nature, is literally geographic, ecological, economic, sociological, urban, cultural, in short, a vital demolition and disaster proposition.

The N Channel ges, which is planned to be built in the area of ​​45 m depth, 25 m depth and 250 m width, in the region of Marmara region which is the most sensitive and protected area of ​​geography, ecological and geological; The Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Marmara to the entire geography is irreparable and unpredictable impacts that will affect the damage and create a break.

The proposed channel continues to connect along the 45 Km route following the east of Küçükçekmece Lake, Sazlıdere Dam-Terkos Dam and connecting the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea.

The length of the channel, 7 km Kucukcekmece, 3,1 km Avcılar, 6,5 km Başakşehir and 28,6 km'ta Arnavutköy districts are within the boundaries. According to the announced application report, the 45 mileage route; forest, agriculture etc. and the settlement areas of Küçükçekmece Lagün and Kumul areas, which are one of the rare geographic assets in the world, were planned to be destroyed by destroying the Sazlıdere Dam and basin areas that meet some of the drinking water needs of Istanbul.

The area of ​​Küçükçekmece Lake to Sazlıdere Dam Lake consists of wetlands and marshlands. The swamp area formed by the tides of the lake is a resting and reproductive region on the migration path of the birds. In the natural structure syntheses made for all environmental layout plans produced for Istanbul; This area is defined as the natural resource area that needs to be protected, the ecological systems of critical importance which should not be disturbed, and the first and second critical soil and resource areas in order to sustain the water cycle. Due to its stream and natural topography, the region is also a very important groundwater and a rainwater collection basin and the most important ecological corridor of Istanbul.

Even from the data described so far; Within the scope of the channel project; The Terkoz basin is also included in the Third Airport and 3. It is understood that all the forest areas, agricultural areas, pastures, groundwater and catchment basins remaining from the bridge connection roads, along with the neighborhoods in the basin, have been designed as the construction and demolition area of ​​the whole geography including the Black Sea and Marmara Sea and its shores.

Although there are no international obstacles in terms of the depth, width and the natural conditions of the Bosphorus and no international barriers to the measures to be taken in the Bosphorus, the lack of necessary security measures is shown as one of the most basic reasons for the 100 annual life.
The third airport, which is known to be adjacent to the International Aviation Safety Rules and which carries great hazards in terms of the risk of accidents and accidents, is not known to be able to store fuel within the 6 km, while there is a very limited and limited maneuvering facility in the Canal in terms of navigational, life and environmental safety. It will create unforeseen threats on the planned living areas around the channel.

Again and with importance we warn Önem

The ek Istanbul Channel coğraf, which is tried to be legitimized by discussing scientific discourses and assumptions on the basis of arguments, is a truly disaster and disaster proposition in terms of geographic, ecological, economic, sociological, urban and cultural life.

It must be immediately terminated and removed from the agenda.

(1) Istanbul Canal Project is an Eco-Crimean Project;

It is expected that the wetlands, rivers, streams and Terkos Lake, which are nesting in the form of international agreements, will be affected by the project. Wetlands within the channel route will be removed from the protection status and put into use.

The Küçükçekmece Lake will turn into a canal and the Sazlıdere Dam and other streams, which meet the 29 of Istanbul's water demand alone, will be completely destroyed. Thus, the whole of the terrestrial area remaining in the Küçükçekmece Lagoon basin, the wetlands and forest areas in the north will be built up.

The coastal geography of the Black Sea will be completely destroyed. The Marmara Sea and the Black Sea will be polluted, the project will have a significant impact on the marine ecosystem, the Black Sea-Marmara balance and climate.

Due to the flow from the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Marmara, freshwater actors and terrestrial eco system will be salted, the salinity value in the Black Sea will be increased to% 0,17, not only to Istanbul and its environs, but also to the agricultural lands and terrestrial ecosystems that are fed by fresh water to Thrace. will be destroyed, will be destroyed and landslide risk will increase. The project will affect all Thrace region ecologically. Bottom oxygen level should be 4.5 ppm in Marmara Sea, while 0.5 ppm is due to pollution, low saline, cold and nutrient value pouring from Black Sea to Marmara, feeding the bacteria in the bottom and causing oxygen to be completely depleted, existing seviy biological corridor Marmara 20 30 XNUMX in the year of the activity of bacteria and fungi as a result of the collapse of the marine ecosystem caused by hydrogen sulfide, the smell of rotten eggs will spread in the environment, odor pollution will occur.
Along with the Istanbul Canal Project, the Third Bosphorus Bridge, the Northern Marmara Motorway and the Connection Roads and the Third Air Port, the 42.300 hectares of agricultural land, 12.000 ha has lost its agricultural character, continues to lose.

The project area is located within the European sub-basin of Marmara within the European-Siberian Phytogeographic Region. The diversity of the region will be adversely affected by the ecological destruction and microclimate changes that will occur after the construction of Kanal Istanbul. The phytogeographical location of the planned area is suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry in terms of soil structure and land use classification.

4342, which is added to Pasture Law 13 on pasture areas within the project area. The provisions of the Law have become ineffective due to the Article. In the same way, the agricultural land in the project area, 5403 No. 13. In accordance with paragraph (d) of the Article, it was allowed to use the non-objective by passing it through the Land Protection Board by the decision of the Council of Ministers.

The project will detach all flora and fauna (fish, endemic and non-endemic plants, insects, wilds, migratory and non-migratory birds) from their habitat in the region.

The project is due to the size of the 20 bin football field, about a third of the natural forest of oak and beech will be destroyed. Wildlife and important bird protection areas will be rapidly depleted.

Bridges, roads, connecting roads, etc. to be built along the line. Besides the canal route, the North West, which is the natural habitat of Istanbul and which has to be protected with this feature, will lead to the development of a residential area under the pressure of transportation projects. Thus, it will open the northern forests of Istanbul to high density construction.

Excavations to be carried out in the project area are expected to remove at least 3 billion m³ from the rural areas and the slopes of the Sazlidere Dam and the Black Sea. Explosion of 600 million m³ rock from this excavation, damage and destruction of structures in the environment as a result of the explosion, consequence of the loss of housing protection of the inhabitants of the region, irreparable damages in the natural protection areas, increase of air pollution exponentially due to 5 release in the air It is inevitable for all living things in the region to create effects such as the emergence of respiratory problems.

The 100 will last for years and will lead to almost impossible ecological damage in the city and the region.

(2) Istanbul Canal Project; It is a project that ignores the principles and principles of planning and protection;

The project was later rewritten to the city's upper-scale plan and contradicts the plan's main decisions.

• The 1 / 100 000 Scale Plan for the Environment is referring to the ı multi-centered and spatial development on the east-west axis and along the Marmara Sea, under control of the city development, which tends to develop northward in order to protect sensitive ecosystems in the north, ı while the Istanbul Canal Project it pushes the entire northern region and its sensitive ecosystems into a ed destructive urban development tüm.

• 1 / 100 000 Scale Environmental Plan ”The Istanbul Canal Project is an initiative in contrast with the fact that dikkate Plan decisions are based on disaster risks karar.

• Although the project area is a ami Reserve Building Area tı, there are three active fault lines on the route, including the risk of earthquake and tsunami.

• 1 / 100 000 Scale Environmental Plan; Kan In the 1000 meter belt of the drinking water basins, the construction in the conservation zones of the streams feeding the basins and in absolute and short protection areas is rejected. Laşma On the other hand, the Istanbul Canal Project provides an intensive structure and population pressure on the watersheds, opening the protection areas of the basins to the building and protection of basins. decisions are invalid. This is a es Rant Bu project.

• In 1 / 100 000 Scale Environmental Plan; Gesi It is foreseen to provide population and employment balance on both sides of the city.. And N 2023 population projection of the plan is 16 million. Üştür On the other hand, all population and employment balance will be overwhelmed by the Istanbul Canal Project. The acak Istanbul Canal and Two New City Projects İki will increase the population threshold of the upper-scale plan by multiplying.

• In 1 / 100 000 Scale Environmental Plan; The principle of esi preventing the development of urban development in the northern part of the city where natural resources are concentrated in the northern part of TEM is to be purified from industrial areas “. It is clearly understood that the Istanbul Canal Project, together with other mega projects, will cause an intense settlement and population pressure.

• In 1 / 100 000 Scale Environmental Plan; Dır It is essential to direct the road transport network to the railway and rail system in the Metropolitan Area ”, while it is inevitable that the Istanbul Canal Project will create road-oriented transportation pressure.

• 1 / 100 000 Scale Environmental Plan; Iştir Büyükçekmece-Terkoz, Küçükçekmece-Terkoz, has adopted an approach that requires the preservation and improvement of the ecological corridors between Haliç-Terkoz and Ömerli Dam-Riva Delta in order to maintain the natural and agricultural characters, wildlife mobility and urban air circulation function. The Istanbul Canal Project will create a strong and destructive pressure on the northern forests, which are among the 100 forest areas that must be protected from Europe and which are intended to be protected by the Environmental Plan. Approximately 45 km of the project's 20 km route passes through the forest area. 200 meters With a rough calculation over the channel width, the approximate 400 ha forest area will only be destroyed by the channel effect. The project poses a major threat to rural life.

• 1 / 100 In the 000 Scale Landscaping Plan; Mar The marginal agricultural areas which ensure the continuity of the product pattern on the absolute agricultural lands in terms of agricultural integrity and the agricultural areas that must be protected in absolute terms have been shown as the areas whose agricultural quality will be preserved. Tarım With the Istanbul Canal Project, agricultural areas will be exhausted. Approximately 102 million m² of agricultural land will be destroyed. The impact area of ​​the Istanbul Canal is 130 million m². Approximately 5 million 300 thousand m² of agricultural area that is 'absolute agricultural land' that is to be protected is located in the impact area of ​​the project. As a result, the rural economy will no longer be sustainable and the rural character of the villages will be completely destroyed.

• Unlike the principles of the 1 / 100 000 scale plan, the Channel project will expose Istanbul's cultural and archaeological heritage and water basins to the pressure of building.

(3) Active Faults in Istanbul Canal Route will Improve Earthquake Movement and Disruptive Damage Probability;
In the last 2017 year of Istanbul, the number of M = 6.8 or larger earthquakes affecting the settlements in Europe and the Anatolian peninsula is 44. Most of these were in the northern part of the Sea of ​​Marmara and these earthquakes were the most affected by the settlements in Istanbul (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Northern Marmara Fault

It is understood that the fault that creates these great earthquakes in the east-west direction to the north of the Sea of ​​Marmara is the North Marmara Fault, which is the continuation of the North Marmara Fault in the Marmara Sea. In addition, when we mapping the current earthquake data, we can foresee that this fault still maintains its effectiveness very clearly and accumulates energy for the major earthquakes in the past. During the 1900-2017 on the European side, the earthquakes with magnitude 3.0 and more must be interpreted in terms of the active faults of the region (Figure 2).

Figure 2. European Side Fault Lines

On the route envisaged for Kanal Istanbul, there is the Sazlidere Dam which meets the Marmara Sea entry / exit area and Istanbul's water requirement. The Küçükçekmece Lake, which once met the drinking water needs of Istanbul, is now so polluted that it cannot be used for this purpose. As a result of marine seismic surveys conducted in the north of the Marmara Sea, a number of active faults were found at the base of the North Sea of ​​Marmara (Figure 3 and Figure 4).

Figure 3. Fault Lines Inside Küçükçekmece Lake

Figure 4.Ideal Fault Lines in Kucukcekmece Lake

These active fault lines in the Küçükçekmece Lake are likely to cause moderate to strong earthquakes due to the movement of the Northern Marmara Fault.

Due to the major construction projects in and around Kanal Istanbul, the natural and environmental balances in the Marmara and Black Sea on the European side and on the Black Sea will irreversibly deteriorate.
Landslide, landslides and liquefaction risk are high due to channel structure ground structure and slope sensitivity.
The most important source of earthquakes to the Istanbul Channel is the major earthquakes expected in the North Marmara Fault lying on the seabed 10-12 from the southern part of the canal.
Due to the geological-geophysical structure of the southern regions of Istanbul, the seismic waves are over-growing. These magnification values ​​can be increased by 10 times.
How the channel reacts to lateral and vertical movements during earthquakes is a vital research topic. Slipping, breaking or torsion of this structure during the earthquake can cause great catastrophes.
The population density will increase with the new settlements that will occur due to the impact of other projects in and around Istanbul and the risk of loss of property and property that will be caused by a possible earthquake will increase.
As the natural stress and ground pore pressure balances in the area will be disrupted due to the excavation near 4.5 billion tons to be removed during the canal excavation, triggered seismicity in various sizes can be seen.
The active faults in the Küçükçekmece Lake and the relation of these faults with other geological phenomena increase the probability of triggered seismicity.

(4) Istanbul Canal Project; will harm socio-economic life and the quality of life of local people;

With the project, the economic structure of the local people, who have provided their livelihood to date, from agriculture, animal husbandry and fishing, will be transformed and the local people will lose all life security. In areas that lose their rural character, displacements will inevitably occur and the population, which has been living in rural life, will have problems of adaptation to urban life.

The new high-density construction that will occur in the region will attract approximately 2 million population to the area and the right of access to water from basic life rights will be restricted due to the decrease of the region's water reserves.

(5) Istanbul Canal Project; is a project that does not enable participation;

Turkey's agricultural land is rapidly converted to urban land, farmers are becoming poorer and more indebted every day. Agricultural areas are shrinking rapidly. Farming areas; 1987 2002 15 1 348 5 2002 2017 years between years 15 3 203 12 1990 47 2002 35 annually 2016 a thousand hectares (20) has been destroyed. The share of agriculture in employment decreased from 2003 in 29.27.240 to 2016 in 23.943.053 and to 50 in 14. Our cultivated areas are XNUMX in XNUMX, but in XNUMX to XNUMX. Pasture areas have declined by approximately XNUMX in the last fifty years, while XNUMX has a billion ha pasture area. Animal husbandry has been carried out over a long period of ready feed. Under these conditions, the villager who has become fully attached to his hand and cannot eat bread has no opportunity to oppose the Istanbul Canal Project. For this reason, local public consultation discourses will be nothing but an empty initiative to justify the project.

However, by looking at the impact area of ​​the project, it is necessary to take into consideration the right of all city and local people to participate in the project. The EIA meeting, which was held in 27 March 2018 date and where a large part of the social groups who would like to participate was not taken, could not prove its legitimacy and the project's participation leg was not realized as it should.

(6) The Istanbul Channel has been uncovered without the Feasibility of Scientific Techniques and Standards;

Due to problems arising from international conventions, failure to provide navigational safety, construction of the channel, operating costs and imbalances in the repayment period, the channel will have irreparable problems.

For these reasons, the Istanbul Channel, which is an eco-crime project that threatens the future of our environment, our cities, our region and our people and usurps the rights of life, should be immediately removed from the agenda and the land and real estate speculation made under the pretext of the channel should be terminated.