A very strong warning from Naci Görür: Istanbul will bring us down, gentlemen, I'm not joking.

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In the information meeting about the Kanal Istanbul process, Professor Dr. Naci Görür reiterated his warnings about the feared possible Istanbul earthquake and stated, "There are geologists who say 'yes' to Kanal Istanbul; I cannot take this responsibility." Görür emphasized that Kanal Istanbul is located on a fault line and expressed, "Let those who haven't heard, hear," adding, "If Turkey's Marmara Region collapses, it will lose its economic independence. Istanbul will bring us down, gentlemen, I'm not joking. If Istanbul's Marmara Region collapses, all of Turkey will collapse on its knees."

NACI GÖRÜR'S WARNING ABOUT "KANAL ISTANBUL"

Geologist Professor Dr. Naci Görür, who attended the Kanal Istanbul process information meeting, stated that he would evaluate the project from a geological perspective and said, "There are geologists who say yes to Kanal Istanbul; I don't know who they are, I cannot take this responsibility, I do not share the same opinion as those friends." Warning that "Kanal Istanbul is on a fault line, it is playing with a live fault," Görür provided information about the fault lines passing through Marmara and reminded that there is a possibility of an earthquake of magnitude 7 or higher in Istanbul, saying: "I want to evaluate this structure or project from the perspective of earth sciences and earthquakes. While I was watching earlier, all the experts said no, all the geologists said yes. I cannot take this responsibility."

"A FAULT LINE PASSES THROUGH THE MARMARA SEA"

I don't know who says yes to this. As a geologist who has spent 45 years in this country, I do not know a single geologist of national or international quality here. That is strange. But I do not share the same opinion as those friends. The reason is very simple. The northern branch of the North Anatolian fault passes through the Marmara Sea. One of them is south of the islands, we call it the Islands Fault. The other extends from the open waters of Yeşilköy to the open waters of Silivri, which we call the Kumburgaz Fault.

"IT'S NOT A MATTER OF COMMON SENSE"

We conducted research on those faults for 10 years. As the head of the research, I worked with Italian and French ships, which are fully equipped and not available in Turkey, and with the world's most equipped scientists. We determined that these two faults are locked. A locked fault means it is currently accumulating energy. There is a frictional force that prevents it from breaking. The moment it overcomes that friction, it will produce an earthquake. Studies conducted by Parsons and others, an American scientist, indicated a 64% probability of rupture within 30 years, which was later revised. Last year, they reduced it to 47%. To say that there is no problem with such a clear and imminent earthquake, which the entire scientific community of the world acknowledges, is not a matter of common sense. I don't know what they base their statements on. However, let me tell you this much.

"IF AN EARTHQUAKE OCCURS IN MARMARA, THE LOSS WILL BE UNIMAGINABLE"

If this Kumburgaz fault breaks, it will be the first fault to break on its own. It will produce a minimum earthquake of 7.2. If the Islands fault breaks on its own, it will produce an earthquake of a maximum of 7. If both break at the same time, it could go up to 7.5. There is a threat of an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude in Istanbul. Now, I understand that you all understand, but I don't believe you believe in earthquakes. If you truly believed, there would be no need for so many words. Work would have been done immediately. I really don't think our politicians truly believe in earthquakes. Yes, they know, they talk, but it's not like that. Because I see Turkey's agenda. There is no such thing. Now, if an earthquake occurs in Istanbul, or rather in the Marmara Region, we will suffer a huge loss; the loss of life and property is unimaginable.

"IF THE MARMARA REGION COLLAPSES, ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE WILL BE LOST"

Even the most authoritative people in Istanbul, that is, institutions, say that more than sixty percent of the building stock is not earthquake-resistant. Just think about Istanbul, think about its streets, think about its houses, think about the concrete they use, think about the corroded rebar. Think about the buildings that have collapsed even when there is nothing happening right now, think about the public's lack of awareness. You can come up with many more reasons. Istanbul will bring us down, gentlemen, I'm not joking. If Istanbul's Marmara Region collapses, all of Turkey will collapse on its knees. Let those who haven't heard, hear. This is not a joke, and if you don't believe it, ask those who do. Really ask a scientist. Otherwise, there are those who are scientists but are very timid, you know, under the command of politics. I am not referring to them. Ask a scientist of international quality directly. If Turkey's Marmara Region collapses, economic independence will be lost.

"THE BUSINESS WORLD DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO PREPARE FOR AN EARTHQUAKE"

Our economists, businessmen, and the business world do not know how to prepare for an earthquake. When they think of preparing for an earthquake, they only believe that their factories are solid, and they knock on wood. They say nothing will happen to them. I assure you, I made the same speech in the executive board of TÜSİAD, and I saw it there. Look, this is not a joke. If we consider that 97 thousand buildings constructed by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will suffer severe damage, the highest number of deaths will come from there, ninety-seven percent. There are one million one hundred thousand building stocks, buildings. If we consider that 97 thousand will collapse, primarily 97 thousand buildings, say a hundred thousand buildings. Now, if you say each of them is five stories, it means five hundred stories; put two apartments in each, one million apartments. If you put four people in each apartment, four million people will be face to face with death. I am not saying they will die, but they will be face to face with death. Now I appeal to your conscience and mercy. How many of the four million people will survive? How much can you reduce that number? The danger is great.

"KANAL ISTANBUL IS ON A FAULT LINE"

Now let me come to Kanal Istanbul. Kanal Istanbul is right on the fault line, not joking, right on it. In other words, at the point where the Sazlıdere Dam opens to the sea at Küçükçekmece, live faults are playing. In our studies, we observed these. That is, directly below Küçükçekmece, below Büyükçekmece, to the west of Büyükçekmece, all the landslides we observed are directly connected to the live faults coming straight to the Marmara. Those faults are also connected to the Kumburgaz fault. If the Kumburgaz fault moves, all these faults will move. No power can keep you standing there. Especially if you are going to build a canal with concrete, thinking it will stand, that is impossible.

There, landslides are completely triggered by these faults. Even now, there is movement. According to our studies conducted from space, there is currently movement of up to two centimeters per year. There is no earthquake yet. Büyükçekmece is sliding, sliding to the west, sliding to the south. There are mayors here. Those buildings look nice now, standing on the coast. Look, I claim that 20 years from now, whether I live or not, let's say I don't, but 20 years from now, all of these will slide down.

"THE MORE PEOPLE, THE MORE DEATH"

Because it shifts two centimeters from the bottom. A two-centimeter shift means twenty centimeters. However, it will start to crack if it shifts from the vertical. All those big buildings will remain within the cracks and shifts and will not settle. It's not a joke, but now we are building plenty of buildings there, skyscrapers as if it's a skill. The ground there is poorly cemented, the water is excessive, the acceleration value is very high, meaning the earthquake's acceleration value is very high, and the speed of the earthquake is very high, with a lot of liquefaction. So, everything about that area is like being in a complete hell. You are building structures there, increasing the density of buildings, bringing people, and increasing the population. The only thing that should not be done in an earthquake zone is that the more structures, the more people, the more death it means. Is it that hard to understand this?

But you have said everything, we have written books about all of this. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has also published volumes of books. My latest book has just been released again. You insist that you will do it. We cannot bend the wrist of even very high-ranking people. As scientists, we say this is wrong. We are stating this based on scientific data. It's nothing beyond that. If there is a better scientist, they can come out and say, "Mr. Görür, what you said is not correct." Then science must accept the truth. But today, it is not presented that way. If you are being stubborn, then you insist that you will do it. Let's say it goes up to 64 billion dollars.

"THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL AREA"

Now, this is a very special area. Why is it a special area? It is a place where the branches of the main fault have high acceleration, speed, and shifting. It is not the place where the earthquake waves have the most acceleration, the most speed, and the most vibration everywhere in the world. Those are earthquake zones. You say you are stubborn and that you will build a canal in the end. Then I will accept defeat. Then I will tell the authorities this: Okay, if you are going to build, then build. But do not think of the cost of the structure you will build here as if it were a normal place. Let me give an example of this in terms of buildings instead of the canal. If the square meter of a normal building is 20,000 to 30,000 lira, you must spend 100,000 here.

"DO NOT DO THIS WORK"

Then the cost of this Kanal Istanbul will not be 64 billion, nor will it be 104 billion. It will cost much more than that, like in the Southeast. Then I have the right to ask. When millions of people's safety is at risk, when their lives are in danger, while this country is being crushed by poverty, why will you give 200 billion here? What is the reason? What are we expecting from this? And everyone has said it here. There is no return; if there were a return, I would accept it. If there were a project with a return, we would accept it scientifically. What does it bring us, for God's sake? That's why I ask for common sense to prevail. To all the authorities, please hear my voice, I beg you. My life has gone this way. Do not do this work. You will bring trouble upon yourselves, and you will not be able to solve this issue. It is a shame, it is a sin."