Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning a gigantic construction project.
A canal is said to connect the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea.
Critics warn of an increased earthquake risk.
Istanbul / Ankara - Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a fan of gigantic construction projects.
These include a new airport in and around Istanbul and the largest mosque in Turkey, which can accommodate 63,000 people.
Erdogan built a huge presidential palace in Ankara.
Another major project is now to be added with the “Istanbul Canal”.
The planned waterway between the Marmara Sea and the Black Sea is to run west of the Bosphorus.
It would turn the European part of Istanbul into an island.
Construction work is scheduled to begin in the coming months.
"God willing, we will lay the foundation stone in the summer months," said Erdogan.
The tender will be issued "very soon".
"Whether you like it or not, we will start with the Istanbul Canal, build it and put it in the service of our people." An urban area for a total of 500,000 people will be created on both sides of the canal, said Erdogan.
Erdogan is building a new waterway: longer and narrower than the Bosporus
The new waterway is to be 45 kilometers long and 275 meters wide at the narrowest point. The depth should be 21 meters. This makes it longer and narrower than the Bosporus, which is around 30 kilometers long and 700 meters wide at its narrowest point. According to
Tagesspiegel
, 1.2 billion cubic meters of earth would have to be moved over a construction period of at least seven years. The project is intended to secure tens of thousands of jobs and substantial income from the transit fees of freighters and tankers.
According to Erdogan, the “Istanbul Canal”, which costs eleven billion euros, is needed to relieve the Bosphorus.
The shipping traffic there is increasing continuously.
According to statistics from the Directorate for Coastal Security, writes the
Tagesspiegel
, the number of ships has been decreasing for some years, but the size and weight of the ships are increasing.
In addition, the Turkish President continued, the danger of a serious ship accident on the Bosporus and thus in the middle of the megacity will be averted.
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Accidents happen again and again on the Bosporus.
On April 7, 2018, a cargo ship crashed into the front of a building on the bank.
© Uncredited / dpa / picture alliance
Erdogan is building a new waterway: Critics see an increased risk of earthquakes
But resistance to the project is great.
Experts warn of irreparable damage to the ecosystem around the metropolis and that drinking water resources would be endangered.
Some also fear that the risk of an earthquake could be further increased in the already highly endangered area.
The “Istanbul Canal” should not pay off financially either.
Because merchant ships are allowed to use the Bosporus free of charge under current law, hardly any shipping company would pay a lot of money for the passage for the new canal, says Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
(mhof)