08.01.2026 13:50
In the morning hours in Izmir, heavy rain and storms caused numerous trees to fall in the Karşıyaka district, while citizens complained about infrastructure deficiencies. The local people pointed out that the municipalities did not take the necessary precautions.
The heavy downpour and storm that showed its effects in the morning hours in İzmir negatively impacted daily life. Especially in the Karşıyaka district, many trees were uprooted due to the storm, and citizens rebelled against the inadequate infrastructure.
MANY TREES WERE UPROOTED The downpour and strong winds that started in the morning across İzmir brought life to a standstill. In the Mavişehir and MaviBahçe areas of the Karşıyaka district, many trees were uprooted and toppled due to the intensity of the storm. The fallen trees blocked the tramway, and vehicles in the streets and parking lots suffered material damage. In the area where the roads turned into ponds due to the rain, citizens who left their homes to go to work and school experienced difficult moments. While there were disruptions in transportation, tram services were also interrupted due to fallen trees. The local people, who stated that they encounter similar scenes in every rainy weather and storm, reacted to the situation. Citizens, who expressed that they constantly experience grievances, argued that despite residing in one of the districts that pay the most taxes in İzmir, they do not receive the services they expect from the municipalities. Residents criticized the Karşıyaka Municipality and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality for the negative occurrences, claiming that necessary precautions were not taken and that the efforts were insufficient.
ROADS TURNED INTO PONDS Enis Topçuoğlu, a resident of the Mavişehir area, stated that despite discussing the ongoing issues multiple times with officials from the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and Karşıyaka Municipality, a permanent solution could not be produced, saying, "There are two pumps installed to drain this water at the seaside, but these pumps need regular maintenance every year. Since maintenance is not done, there is no place for the water to go. The area is about 90 centimeters below sea level, and there are walls about 2 meters high on the seaside, so it essentially becomes a pool. Therefore, the only system that can expel the water is these pumps, and I have been monitoring them since the morning; they have just now started to operate. If they had been working since the morning, what happened in this area would not have occurred," he said.
"INFRASTRUCTURE IS INSUFFICIENT" Pointing out that the situation is a well-known problem that recurs every 2-3 years, Topçuoğlu expressed that simply filling the coastal areas in Mavişehir is not a solution and that the region has a serious infrastructure problem, stating, "Especially, flooding and tree falls are a result of this problem. We pay one of the highest taxes in Turkey to the municipality, but the service we receive does not match that. Many times we say that we are ready to support for a solution, but so far no agreement has been reached. However, we know both the problem and the solution and have explained it many times. There are vehicles and houses worth millions of lira here, and the value of these assets decreases due to the flooding. People develop the perception that 'this place is constantly flooded,' which seriously harms the region," he stated.
COURIERS ARE VICTIMS Mustafa Murat, a moto courier whose motorcycle's electrical system malfunctioned due to water accumulation on the roads during the rainy weather, pointed out the deficiencies in the municipality's infrastructure, saying, "I think the municipality needs to advance its infrastructure work a bit more in this regard. This situation is problematic not only for us but also for everyone in traffic and pedestrians. We are in a very unfortunate situation and we cannot work right now." He added that due to the disruptions, they could not serve customers and their day was wasted, saying, "I go out for a delivery but I can't go, so the customer will complain, and then we have to deal with them. It's really a bad and difficult day. As I said, we can't go anywhere because of the puddles, and this also leads to many accidents like slipping and falling. The customer is waiting, but we can't deliver the package, so our whole day is wasted."