Response from Murat Kurum to Özgür Özel's criticism of 'Kanal Istanbul': 'Only social housing...'

Following the flood disaster in Istanbul, Minister of Internal Affairs Mustafa Çiftçi, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, and Deputy Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Nuri Aslan made inspections in Sarıyer Ayazağa.

Listening to the demands of citizens affected by the flood in the region, the Institution made statements about the work carried out and the measures planned to be taken.

The institution also responded to NEW Party Chairman Özgür Özel's criticisms regarding the Canal Istanbul project and the construction in Sazlıbosna.

“IT IS VERY ESSENTIAL TO CONTINUE THE INCOMPLETE STREAM IMPROVEMENT”

Stating that similar disasters may occur more frequently due to climate change, Kurum said that permanent solutions should be implemented in flood-affected areas.

The institution said, "The climate is changing, we will experience these disasters more frequently. Therefore, combating climate change is not a choice, it is a necessity."

Referring to the stream improvement works in Ayazağa, Kurum said:

"It is very essential to continue the unfinished stream rehabilitation. We had a meeting with our IMM Deputy Mayor and Sarıyer Municipality regarding this. We decided to do what needs to be done together. Our people should not experience the same problem in future disasters."

KANAL ISTANBUL STATEMENT: "ONLY SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECTS ARE BEING DONE"

Reacting to Özgür Özel's criticism of the Canal Istanbul project, Kurum argued that a political debate was being carried out over the flood disaster.

The institution said:

"We are experiencing one of the biggest flood disasters in Istanbul. Doing politics over this event is incompetence. It is Özgür Özel's attempt to cover up his own shortsightedness. Only social housing projects are being built on the Canal Istanbul project."

Sharing figures regarding housing works, the Authority said that 1 million 700 thousand houses were built and 455 thousand houses were delivered in 11 provinces in the earthquake zone in two years.

UPLOADED ON ÖZEL: "LET THEM GO TO THE STREET AND SEE WHAT THEY WANT IN AYAZAĞA"

Continuing its response to Özel's criticism, Kurum used the following statements:

"Since he does not go out on the streets, he does not know what is wanted on the streets. Let him go down to the streets and see what is wanted in Ayazağa. We are not doing politics, he should not cover up his own administrative incompetence with these slanders, let him come and see what the citizens want."

WHAT DID ÖZGÜR ÖZEL SAY?

NEW Party Chairman Özgür Özel, in the program he attended on NOW TV, criticized the construction carried out in Sazlıbosna within the scope of the Canal Istanbul project after the flood disaster in Istanbul.

Arguing that the construction in Sazlıbosna poses a risk for stream beds and water basins, Özel said the following:

"Now I ask Mr. Minister this. You say, 'Let's learn a lesson.' Where is Sazlıbosna? Despite our objections, you are currently drying up a dam in Sazlıbosna, which you built as Canal Istanbul, and building houses instead. The place you call a dam is the place where all the streams gather. "The ground there is also problematic, and the construction there is also problematic."

Özel claimed that there was a contradiction between the Institution's statements against construction in stream beds and the practices within the scope of Canal Istanbul and continued as follows:

"Murat Kurum, who said, 'We should not build on the stream bed,' is currently a whole project, the issue we call Canal Istanbul is being built on the stream bed and the place where it flows. All the responsibility lies with Murat Kurum, in the Canal Istanbul project."

Özel also criticized the urbanization policies of the government, reminding that Ekrem İmamoğlu, who opposed the Canal Istanbul project, was in prison.