Minister Kurum announced his goals in the region he arrived with determination: We will deliver 200 thousand houses by the end of the year.

The Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, spoke in the Azerbaijan Neighborhood, which was built in Kahramanmaraş. Minister Kurum stated in his statement in the earthquake zone that their goal is to deliver 200,000 houses by the end of the year.

Taking over the seat from Mehmet Özhaseki, Minister Kurum, who is the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, examined the ongoing construction sites in the central reserve areas in Kahramanmaraş, where great destruction occurred in the earthquakes on February 6, 2023, which was described as the "disaster of the century", and received information from the authorities. Minister Kurum, in his statement to the press members in the Azerbaijan Neighborhood, built by the brother country Azerbaijan, expressed that they have not forgotten the pain experienced on February 6 and that the work continues without slowing down in order to heal the wounds.

He stated that after being reappointed, he came to the earthquake zone to listen to the demands of the citizens in person, examine the projects on site, and see the decisions that need to be made on site. Kurum stated that they came to Malatya yesterday and Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the earthquakes, today, and that they will go to Hatay from here, emphasizing that the work will continue day and night under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in order to revive the earthquake zone.

THE GOAL IS TO DELIVER 200,000 HOUSES BY THE END OF THE YEAR

Emphasizing that their goal is to build and deliver 200,000 houses by the end of the year, taking into account the needs of the city, Kurum stated that 17,592 houses have been delivered to the rightful owners in Kahramanmaraş so far.

"WE DON'T HAVE A SECOND TO LOSE"

Indicating that they will continue their visits to the earthquake zone regularly, Minister Kurum said, "One of our feet, our hearts, and our souls will always be in the earthquake zone. As we always say, the pain of the earthquake zone will be our pain and its joy will be our joy. Our only desire and request is to raise the earthquake zone as soon as possible and to bring Kahramanmaraş back to its old good days. At the end of the day, we want to receive the prayers of our citizens and go to their homes and have pleasant conversations. We will continue our work day and night to reach those days quickly. We don't have a second to lose, we will not stop, we will not rest, we will do these services. We are visiting our project areas one by one and we want to listen to the expectations of our citizens in person and find solutions on the spot and make quick decisions and implement those decisions."

"OUR HOUSES ARE REACHING THE FINAL STAGE"

Stating that they want to manage the process with the opposition municipality and all civil society organizations without turning the earthquake into a political tool, Kurum said that they still carry the grief of the earthquakes that mourned the people on February 6 as they did on the first day. Minister Kurum stated that during the earthquake period, the spirit of national struggle was demonstrated and emphasized that this situation is very important. Kurum said, "We see some of the houses built by the Azerbaijan Government with the consciousness of 'one nation, two states'. Our houses are reaching the final stage, and our school, whose foundation we laid, will educate our earthquake-stricken children in this academic year. Believe me, this happiness is priceless. Here, we will see the smiling faces of Kahramanmaraş's children, which is very valuable and precious for us. We have conducted our inspections, and as a result of our inspections, we will fulfill our duties one by one with the understanding that fulfills the promises given by our President in every disaster and implements them decisively."

"THE COST OF THE EARTHQUAKE EXCEEDED 104 BILLION DOLLARS"

Pointing out that they fulfill the promises made in the earthquakes, floods, and landslides, Kurum stated that they will work with the same understanding with a mobilization consciousness in the earthquakes on February 6. Minister Kurum reminded that works are continuing in a vast area directly affecting 11 provinces and 14 million citizens due to the disaster and stated that the financial cost of the February 6 earthquake has exceeded 104 billion dollars. Kurum stated that the number of houses built by the Ministry, its subsidiaries, and the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) has reached 276,000. He also stated that they are realizing the demands of the citizens regarding on-site transformation. Kurum said, "We are carrying out the construction process of village houses in 4,500 villages in on-site or, if not possible, in collective areas, and we have delivered 76,000 houses to our citizens with the 153,000 workers working in our 2,000 construction sites."

"WE WILL NEVER LEAVE OUR DISASTER-AFFECTED BROTHERS ALONE FOR A MOMENT"

Minister Kurum stated that the work is continuing rapidly without slowing down in the entire region and said: "We have designated reserve areas, and we are carrying out our projects in these reserve areas, which will be suitable for the needs of the city, with a ground plus 3-4 floors, and if possible, not exceeding 5 floors, taking into account the demands of our tradesmen and civil society organizations. We also have good news that our citizens in Kahramanmaraş have been eagerly waiting for. There is a process regarding landslide areas and fault lines here. Our professors have a study on areas that are not suitable for settlement and have been declared as fault avoidance zones, where our citizens cannot settle. In these studies, our professors are conducting detailed studies, conducting the study of the micro documentation of the ground, and sending samples from there to laboratories abroad. We are carrying out all these studies.

In this context, Minister Kurum stated that studies have been conducted by scientists regarding the risk of landslides in Boğaziçi, Vadi, and Akçalı neighborhoods in Kahramanmaraş, and a preliminary report has been prepared. He said that they will inform the citizens about the suitability of the region for settlement based on the report given by the professors in October.

"OUR DOOR WILL BE OPEN TO CITIZENS 24/7"

Minister Kurum stated that they will continue their work until the people in the earthquake zone have smiles on their faces and concluded his speech as follows: "We will never leave our brothers and sisters affected by the disaster alone, we will continue to be by their side. We will not leave a single earthquake victim brother behind who has not found a new home. One of our hands and our hearts will always be in the earthquake zone. Our door will be open 24/7 to all deputies, citizens, and mayors in the earthquake zone. Our entire team will go to the citizens in the earthquake zone and make every effort to fulfill their expectations. We will put not only our hands but also our whole bodies under the burden together and return to our homes as quickly as possible. We will be in the field until the faces of the tradesmen and the 11 provinces of Kahramanmaraş are smiling again. We will be by the side of the earthquake victims and under the leadership of our President, no matter what the conditions are. In accordance with the instructions of our President, we will carry out all the necessary work for the earthquake zone with the full power and strength of our state. Power is my concern, this concern is our concern, and together we will put forth these efforts and make our citizens smile."

Answering the questions of the press, Kurum mentioned that a study has been initiated regarding rail systems in Kahramanmaraş and President Erdoğan will share a good news about it soon.