15.10.2026 14:58
CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Gürsel Tekin evaluated the flood in Istanbul in which 3 people lost their lives. Arguing that what happened was an “administrative disaster,” Tekin claimed that the city was “handed over to construction gangs and concrete lobbies” and that stream beds were altered by construction. Claiming that Istanbul’s infrastructure was built for a population of 8 million, Tekin said that no one had been held accountable to date because of zoning practices.
Evaluating the downpour in Istanbul that killed 3 people and flooded hundreds of homes and businesses, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Gürsel Tekin argued that what happened was a problem of governance rather than a natural disaster.
“THIS IS A GOVERNANCE DISASTER”
Tekin, who was a guest of Melis Yaşar and Editor-in-Chief Atty. Bedia Teymur on Haberler.com, was asked whether the rainfall—of an intensity not seen in 41 years—should be considered solely a natural disaster.
Tekin, noting that natural disasters can occur in every country, said, “But if you ask me, this is a governance disaster. In Anatolia, no one messes with streams. Because when the routes of those streams are changed, it puts you face to face with very big problems.”
“ISTANBUL HAS BEEN SURRENDERED TO CONSTRUCTION MAFIAS”
Emphasizing that Istanbul is one of the world’s important cities, Tekin claimed, “This city has been surrendered to construction mafias and concrete lobbies. There is a huge criminal conspiracy organization.”
Recalling that a similar disaster occurred in 2009, Tekin said that 34 people lost their lives and thousands were victimized when Ayamama Creek overflowed. Tekin recalled that then-President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used the words, “The revenge of the streams is heavy.”
“THERE IS NO LAND LEFT FOR CHILDREN TO STEP ON”
Tekin argued that an Istanbul map prepared in 2011 and the planning work that the late then-Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbaş described as the “Istanbul Constitution” showed how much of a governance issue the disaster was.
Claiming that public spaces in the city have disappeared, Tekin said:
“Right now, in a place like Istanbul, there is no land left for children to step on. There are no areas left where they can play ball. After the 1999 Marmara earthquake, there were public areas reserved for earthquake transformation and assembly areas. Not a single one of them remains. The last one was in the Kağıthane area, and they sold it a year ago.”
“WE BUILT THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR 8 MILLION”
Claiming that stream beds were changed and shopping malls and residences were built on them, Tekin argued that the same rainfall did not cause similar problems in countries such as Romania and Bulgaria. Tekin said, “Because our infrastructure is not sufficient. We built our infrastructure for 8 million, and even that is patchy. We are talking about a city where 18 million people now live.”
Recalling that the law provides heavy penalties for illegal structures, Tekin asked, “Have you ever heard of anyone being arrested, held accountable, or punished because of zoning practices?”
“IF LAND IS ALLOCATED, NO ONE CAN BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE”
Arguing that the “criminal conspiracy” began with the allocation of public land, Tekin criticized the allocation of plots to journalists, audit institutions, members of the judiciary, and members of parliament through municipalities or the National Estate. Telling that during his time as an MP he rejected an offer to become a member of a cooperative that would build villas on a plot allocated by the National Estate, Tekin said, “As MPs, citizens did not elect us to ‘build villas for yourselves.’”
Tekin claimed, “The media has been corrupted. The judiciary is corrupting itself by allocating land, so it cannot hold anyone accountable. If lawmakers who legislate are building villas for themselves, they cannot hold anyone accountable regarding the National Estate. Turkey has been built on such a criminal conspiracy.”
TEYMUR: IS ISTANBUL A LIVABLE CITY?
Atty. Bedia Teymur stated that natural disasters can happen, but what Tekin said should be considered. Drawing attention to the importance of accountability from administrators to zoning directorates and licensing institutions, Teymur said:
“It’s not just floods. When we are in trouble in floodwaters, we talk about these events, but is Istanbul normally a livable city right now? You go somewhere, there’s no parking. We have now moved on to skyscrapers. While we used to have problems with 7-8-story apartment buildings, now those buildings are demolished and huge shopping malls, huge buildings, huge complexes are built in their place.”
“TYPE ‘CONSTRUCTION MAFIA’ AND SEE WHAT COMES UP”
Claiming that he has struggled alone on this issue for years, Tekin called for people to search “construction mafia” on the internet. Tekin said, “Wouldn’t there be politicians in this city other than Gürsel Tekin who could be disturbed by these practices? Look, there is no second politician there. There is no one to fight these mafias.” He also recounted that he lost some of the lawsuits he filed and encountered high fees.
“PARKING MONEY IS COLLECTED, BUT THERE IS NO PARKING”
Stating that there are no parking lots, playgrounds, or cemetery spaces in the city, Tekin argued that parking fees are paid when obtaining permits, but parking lots are not built with that money. Saying that he is most often sought for cemetery plots, Tekin said, “If you cannot fulfill your duty while people are alive, at least take care of the citizen’s body when they die.”
Recalling that the rainfall started in Sofia and reached Istanbul, Tekin asked, “There is a building on that stream. Would there not be a fault, an offense, a punishment for those who build on the stream and those who allow it?”
TEYMUR: EVEN ARCHITECT SINAN CALCULATED THIS
Giving the example of Fikirtepe, Teymur argued that worse urbanization has occurred in areas called urban transformation zones and said someone must say “stop” to this. Stating that green spaces where people can breathe are needed, Teymur continued:
“You allow a huge shopping mall. What happened last night in one of the most modern shopping malls? It filled to the brim, vehicles couldn’t get out. God saved us from a disaster. There is something they call a water basement. We were just talking with one of our experts; even Architect Sinan did this in our historical monuments from Anatolia, [considering] where the water would go when it came. No one questions these things. Which road do you take to these shopping malls? There is no road. Huge structures are still being built on the same jam-packed road.”
“FIKIRTEPE TURNED INTO A DUNGEON”
Upon Teymur’s question, Tekin, stating that he is from Fikirtepe, said, “When politics turns into a tool for enrichment, individual wealth takes precedence over social wealth.” Tekin claimed that when he was Istanbul Provincial Chair in 2009, he proposed an exemplary urban transformation for the area, but lands belonging to the Child Protection Institution, the State Materials Office, and the National Estate were sold.
Tekin said, “That is not a transformation; it turned into a dungeon. I wish Fikirtepe could have remained as it was.”
Stating that air corridors are prioritized in urban development practices around the world, Tekin argued that the corridors allowing the breeze from Çamlıca to reach Kadıköy, Bağdat Avenue, and Göztepe have been blocked by construction. Tekin said, “Because the development windfall is such a huge amount of money that your mind cannot fathom it.”
CALL TO ŞİMŞEK FOR “PUBLIC LANDS”
Tekin also called on Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek. Wanting Şimşek to send a letter to the governorships of 81 provinces, Tekin said that the governorships should be asked for “a list of places belonging to the Treasury, to National Real Estate, places that have lost their forest status, and movable and immovable properties belonging to the state.”
TEYMUR: EVERY MISTAKE SHOULD BE PUBLICLY EXPOSED IN SOCIETY
Continuing his assessment after Tekin, Teymur stated that the fund crisis on the agenda is the “real corruption.” Saying that the accounts of politicians and officeholders who have influence over windfalls must be kept under constant audit, Teymur spoke as follows:
“These people should actually be publicly exposed in society for even the smallest mistakes; they should be able to be exposed as thieves. They are playing with human life, social life, and the future of a country. This is not just a simple flood event that we are affected by right now; it will emerge in a much different way in the future. ”
“HOW PREPARED ARE WE FOR AN EARTHQUAKE?”
Emphasizing that the flood is a serious warning about preparing for a possible earthquake, Teymur said, “We constantly have earthquake warnings ahead of us. So how prepared are we for it? If we end up like this even in a simple flood, if life is paralyzed, if the basements of our most modern shopping malls are half filled with water, there is something to this.”
Teymur said, “When you come to an office, you cannot use any authority your office gives you for your own benefit. You cannot obtain windfall gains, you cannot obtain benefit. If you are content with your own rightful salary from there, then you will come and sit in that seat.”
“THE FEEDING SOURCE OF POLITICS IS URBAN DEVELOPMENT”
Gürserl Tekin argued that a city cannot have 300 shopping malls and described this as a “great massacre.” Claiming that 7 different institutions have zoning authority in Istanbul, Tekin spoke as follows:
“There is no such situation in any city in the world. If seven different institutions have the authority to zone, you cannot control the city. Because huge windfalls are obtained in every development practice. The feeding source of politics is also urban development, urban development, urban development. The solution is very easy. You will do what the world does. Whatever the practice is in England, France, Germany, we must adapt the same to our cities. ”
Upon Teymur’s words, “Follow up on these issues, we are behind you too,” Tekin said, “I have never given up. I will fight until death.”
TEYMUR: WHERE WILL THESE PEOPLE GET FRESH AIR?
In his assessment of Istanbul's unplanned urbanization, Teymur used the following statements:
“A financial center was built in Ataşehir. Around it, they started again; that shopping mall, this hospital, residences, huge housing complexes. Very nice, you built them, and you are selling them too. People have no choice; if you are in Istanbul, you have no other chance to live. So where will children play? Where will they get fresh air? We all live under stress all day. Where will we go out to get some fresh air? We no longer have such a space. ”
Recalling President Erdoğan’s words, “The revenge of the streams is heavy,” Teymur concluded, “Nature’s revenge is truly very heavy. We breathe through vehicle exhaust all day. Does a human have no value here at all?”
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