Minister Özhaseki’s Key Statements in CNN Türk Live Broadcast
The Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, Mehmet Özhaseki, recently addressed the state of the catastrophic earthquakes that shook Turkey and its aftermath in an interview on CNN Türk in Hatay.
The minister commented on the severity of the recent earthquakes, stating, “We faced 2 large and long earthquakes. It was a very large earthquake that passed through 4 cities and included many settlements. Damage exceeded $100 billion. 85 million people were standing, no one had a peaceful soup. I know our elders who postponed their pilgrimage and deposited money to AFAD. Children donated from their piggy banks.”
In response to the disaster, the government allocated resources for the swift construction of new housing for those who lost their homes. “In order to act quickly after the earthquake, our friends started to identify lands where they could start work as soon as possible,” Özhaseki said. “And after ground surveys were carried out in the treasury areas, they started construction within 1-2 months. Some of the constructions we started are about to be completed. Where we are now, 1000 houses will be delivered within 15-20 days.”
Addressing the issue of urban transformation, Minister Özhaseki emphasized the government’s commitment to the revitalization of collapsed areas while also accommodating the wishes of the citizens. “While carrying out urban transformation, we are trying to revive the collapsed areas. On the one hand, we say, do you want to do it on site, we will pay you and have it done yourself. There is a term called new residential area in the new regulation. Other than that, there is no change in the law. When did we evict who from their home? These are happening because ideological groups provoke people. If the citizens say that we should not declare this place a reserve, we do not do it.”
Looking ahead, Özhaseki outlined the government’s plans for the affected regions, with a focus on creating a center of tourism and building steel-frame houses in the villages. “In the situation we face, we say let’s do this right. We want to make this place a center of tourism. While we are building reserve areas, we are trying to build the streets in the center. On the other hand, thousands of people started the transformation on their own. For example, during the on-site transformation, someone sent us the house he built as a sample. Municipalities should also step in and take the lead on this issue.”
