Dr. in Yenikapı by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM). At the İSKİ 2019-2026 investment and project promotion meeting held at the Architect Kadir Topbaş Performance and Art Center; IMM Deputy President Nuri Aslan, IMM Secretary General Prof. Dr. Volkan Demir, İSKİ General Manager Assoc. Dr. Şafak Başa, council members, headmen, representatives of universities, public institutions and professional organizations, scientists and academics, representatives of political parties, unions and non-governmental organizations, IMM bureaucrats and employees attended.
The meeting, which started with a moment of silence and the National Anthem, continued with the viewing of the promotional film prepared by İSKİ, including the messages of IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu, and then the podium speeches began.
IMM Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan, who made the first speech at the podium, started his speech by saying, "I convey the greetings of our Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been detained in Silivri for about 1.5 years. Normally, Ekrem İmamoğlu should have made this speech" and read the letter that İmamoğlu wrote specifically for the meeting.
Ekrem İmamoğlu's letter began with the words: "Even though I cannot be with you today, I want you to know that my mind, my heart and all my good wishes are with Istanbul and you."
In his letter, İmamoğlu said, "For us, serving Istanbul is the name of our responsibility towards 16 million people, our joint effort, and our love for this unique city. Since the first day we took office, we have worked with the goal of a fair, green and creative Istanbul. We have implemented investments that will improve Istanbul's present and secure its future. We saw it as our fundamental responsibility to protect Istanbul's resources, improve the quality of life, and leave this unique city to future generations with a strong infrastructure."
"İSKİ, which protects Istanbul's water, protects its living resources, and prepares the infrastructure of this ancient city for the future, is one of the most established and most distinguished institutions of our Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality family. Since 2019, this distinguished institution has assumed a very important responsibility in the implementation of major investments that concern the future of Istanbul and in ensuring that our city has a resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
In every drop of water flowing from Istanbul's taps, in every investment that progresses meters below the ground, in every project that protects our streams and seas, İSKİ and its devoted employees contribute to their efforts. When we took office in 2019, we had many chronic problems that had been waiting for solutions for years. "We went over these problems with determination, we did things that were said to be impossible, and we brought permanent works to the future of Istanbul."
"Of course, these 7 years have not been easy. We have faced crises, disasters and very difficult processes one after the other. We have passed through many tests, from the pandemic that brought the world to a halt, to economic bottlenecks, from the increasingly severe effects of the climate crisis to disasters. But we did not see any difficulty as an excuse to serve Istanbul.
We did not allow any crisis to weaken our determination to work, our will to invest and our belief in Istanbul. Amidst all these difficulties, we brought firsts to Istanbul. We have completed the investments that have been pending for years and implemented new generation applications. We are not satisfied with just solving today's problems; "We have put forward a new vision that will guide the future in Istanbul's water management, environmental policies and infrastructure understanding."
"In the past 7 years, we have made a huge infrastructure and investment move all over Istanbul with the help of İSKİ. We have implemented important investments one by one, from drinking water to wastewater, from treatment plants to transmission lines, from giant tunnels to living valleys and natural life parks; from comprehensive restoration works that keep Istanbul's water and cultural heritage alive to environmental investments.
We mobilized all our resources to prepare Istanbul for earthquakes and make it a more resilient city against disasters. We build our infrastructure not only according to today's needs; We strengthened it by taking into account the new risks brought by earthquakes, drought, excessive rainfall and climate crisis. It protects the nature, history and living resources of Istanbul; "We leave a more resilient, greener and more livable Istanbul to future generations."
"Our investments introduced here today are the work of this will. Under the leadership of our İSKİ General Manager, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şafak Başa, our managers, engineers, technical teams and fellow workers in the field continue to work day and night to protect Istanbul's water, strengthen its infrastructure and secure its future. At the point we have reached today, I can proudly say that İSKİ is a strong company that not only solves the problems of Istanbul, but also sets an example for Turkey with the firsts it has implemented, the major investments it has made and the vision it has put forward. It is an institution.
We continue our way today with the same belief as we started for our Istanbul when we took office in 2019. We will continue with the same determination tomorrow. First of all, our General Manager, Assoc. Dr. I would like to thank my entire İSKİ family, including Şafak Başa, for their efforts, courage and commitment to Istanbul. Wherever I am, my companions are on duty; Istanbul is in safe hands. Because for us, serving Istanbul is more than a duty, it is a promise made to our 16 million citizens and we will never go back on that promise. I greet you all with love, longing and respect.”
