A huge project in Turkey worries experts.
Nonetheless, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is making his controversial “Istanbul Canal” a reality.
Munich - The foundation stone for the first bridge has been laid, the “Istanbul Canal” is taking shape: At the historic moment ceremony on Saturday (June 26), Recep Tayyip Erdogan * celebrated: “Today we are opening a new chapter in history the development of Turkey. ”Despite all the criticism, the Turkish President * is sticking to his mammoth construction project near the metropolis on the Bosporus.
The new canal is to run parallel to the strait that divides the city into a European and an Asian part.
Erdogan's most ambitious and controversial infrastructure project * to date will connect the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
According to official information, the project will devour 11.5 billion euros.
The canal is to be 45 kilometers long and act as an alternative waterway to relieve the Bosphorus.
Erdogan and the “Istanbul Canal”: Various lawsuits against the mega project
In his speech, Erdogan referred to the many ship accidents in the Bosporus, and said that the new canal should above all ensure the "safety" of Istanbul's residents.
He should also give Turkey a more important role in world trade.
But not least the residents of Istanbul had resisted the project.
Like various scientists, she is worried about serious environmental damage.
There were various lawsuits against Erdogan's plan.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu (CHP *) even suspects part of a motorway project planned well in advance.
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Erdogan and the “Istanbul Canal”: Positive study not only receives applause
An environmental impact assessment (CED) by the Ministry of Environment and Urban Development came to a positive result, but is viewed very critically. The General Secretary of the Istanbul Chamber of Environmental Engineers, Medat Güney, also has concerns, who told Deutsche Welle in advance: “The entire Sazlidere Dam, the most important drinking water reservoir on the European side, should give way to the canal. According to the CED report, Lake Terkos is also to be integrated into the canal. "
He fears that the population will face rising water costs.
The necessary supplies are to be secured by the planned construction of the Melen Dam 200 kilometers east of the city.
In addition, rare and endangered animal and plant species that are at home along the route of the planned canal could be threatened with extinction.
According to a study by the Istanbul city council, more than 200,000 trees have to be felled.
In addition: 136 square kilometers of agricultural area and 13 square kilometers of pasture would have to give way.
Erdogan and the “Istanbul Canal”: is the metropolis threatened by the smell of rotten eggs?
But that is not enough. Nihan Temiz Atas of Greenpeace speculates that there will be further negative consequences for the ecosystem. "Experts say the water from the Black Sea will flow through the channel into the Marmara Sea," said the environmentalist, according to
DW
. As a result, the oxygen content in the water decreases, which, according to the activist, could have fatal consequences: "As soon as the oxygen is used up, there is no going back." "As a result, Istanbul will be exposed to the smell of rotten eggs in a southwest wind."
What is also being discussed: The billion-dollar project could undermine the Montreux Treaty. The international shipping agreement of 1936 regulates the passage in the Bosporus and in the Dardanelles. Among other things, it guarantees civil ships passage in times of war and peace.
(mg / AFP) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
