Minister Kurum in Adıyaman: We have invested more than 2 trillion.

05.02.2025 18:40

The Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, attended the "Second Year Press Meeting of the Construction and Reconstruction of the Century." Minister Kurum stated that a total of 201,580 houses and workplaces have been delivered in the earthquake-affected region, saying, "It is our duty as a state to deliver all the housing in the earthquake zone; it is our honor and our integrity."

On the occasion of the 2nd anniversary of the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, a press meeting titled "Second Year Press Meeting on the Construction and Revival of the Century" was held in Adıyaman with the participation of the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum. Minister Kurum informed the press about the latest status of the works carried out in the earthquake zone.

Emphasizing that the severity and extent of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes have been recorded as an unprecedented disaster in recent history, Minister Kurum stated, "On February 6, 2023, the Anatolian lands witnessed one of the greatest disasters in history. As a nation, we experienced a deep pain and went through a heavy test. The disaster of the century, which affected an area of 108 thousand square kilometers, larger than the area of more than 100 countries, caused significant destruction in 11 of our provinces, 7 of which are metropolitan cities. 14 million citizens, corresponding to 16% of our population, living in 124 districts and 6,929 neighborhoods were severely affected by this painful picture. We buried thousands of our brothers. The material damage amounted to 104 billion dollars, approximately 10% of Turkey's annual GDP. After the earthquake, 2.5 million people living in 11 provinces had to migrate to different cities," he said.

"EARTHQUAKE TRANSFORMATION IS A NATIONAL STRUGGLE FOR OUR COUNTRY"

Minister Kurum stated that a total of 201,580 houses and workplaces have been delivered so far, emphasizing that this number will reach 452,983 by the end of the year. He also mentioned that 32,000 of the village houses for which construction has been initiated have been delivered, and they aim to complete 30,000 village houses quickly and deliver them to citizens by the end of 2025. "Earthquake transformation is almost a new national struggle for our country. Every step we take is a sign of our ideal of a strong and great Turkey," said Minister Kurum, highlighting that over 2 trillion TL has been invested in the region so far, and 584 billion TL has been allocated from the Ministry's budget for 2025. He announced that 23 billion TL has been allocated to the region through the "On-Site Transformation" support provided to earthquake victims who wish to build their own homes.

"DELIVERING ALL THESE HOUSES IS OUR HONOR"

Reiterating that all houses and workplaces in the earthquake zone will be completed and delivered by the end of the year, Minister Kurum said: "I was here from the first hours of the earthquake. Just as a father feels excitement while watching the birth, childhood, and growth of his child; we experience great peace and happiness while completing these projects, conducting construction activities here, delivering the keys to our people, and seeing our tradesmen open their businesses. We have truly gone through very difficult days together, but we embraced each other tightly. Delivering all these houses is our duty as a state. It is our honor, our pride. We carry out construction activities with this understanding. It is our debt to our precious nation to deliver all homes decisively and quickly. Just as we have done our work in the fastest and most accurate way for 23 years, we will now work with all our might. We have not signed any work that our citizens did not want. With complete goodwill and prayers, we will carry our earthquake-affected region and our country to much stronger tomorrows together. We will not leave the hands of our earthquake-affected brothers for a moment. We have a promise to them; as their brother, as their companion, we will keep that promise and continue to receive their good prayers."

"WE WILL MAKE OUR EARTHQUAKE REGION AND OUR COUNTRY RESILIENT TO DISASTERS"

Emphasizing that Turkey's most urgent issue is the rapid reconstruction of the earthquake zone, Minister Kurum stated, "That is why I say; the future of the earthquake zone is the future of Turkey, its destiny." Minister Kurum noted that a new country is being built in the earthquake zone, saying: "Under the leadership of our President, we are carrying out the 'construction of the century' at an unprecedented speed. We are building a new country in our earthquake zone. We are determined and resolute; we will make our earthquake zone and our country resilient to all possible disasters. We will not leave a single unhealthy structure in our country; we will work day and night to make the Century of Turkey the century of resilient societies and resilient cities. As of January, we have not left a single house in the earthquake zone that has not started construction. We have initiated the construction of all the homes we will deliver to the rightful owners, that is, 100% of them."

NEW SATELLITE CITIES OF THE EARTHQUAKE REGION

Minister Murat Kurum provided the press with information about the new satellite cities and vision projects being constructed in the provinces of the earthquake zone: "In Adıyaman İndere, we have established the largest construction site in Turkey on an area of 5 million square meters. We are building a new satellite city with 16,000 houses. In Malatya, we are continuing the construction of approximately 28,000 houses, which is the new satellite city of Malatya, in our project consisting of 2 phases in the İkizce region. We are also establishing a new city with 4,000 houses in the Gülderen neighborhood of Hatay Antakya. We have completed the construction of 2,600 houses on an area of 310 acres, where we started construction in Gülderen. Additionally, we are carrying out an exemplary urban design project in the Azerbaijan neighborhood of our Kahramanmaraş."

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT: EQUIVALENT TO TURKEY'S COASTLINE LENGTH

Minister Kurum stated that the renewal works of drinking water, sewage, and rainwater lines, with a total length exceeding 11,000 kilometers in the earthquake zone, will also be completed rapidly, saying, "Look, the total length of Turkey's borders and coastlines is approximately 11,000 kilometers."İşte metnin İngilizce çevirisi, HTML yapısını bozmadan ve img etiketlerindeki title ve alt etiketlerine de çeviri uygulayarak:



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He stated, "Today we are making an infrastructure investment that will cover the surrounding areas of Turkey in the earthquake zone."

"WE CONTINUE TO KEEP THE SPIRIT OF OUR CIVILIZATION ALIVE"

Minister Kurum also provided information about the works related to the historical structures that were damaged in the earthquake zone: We are not only building infrastructure and housing. We continue to keep the traces of our history and the spirit of our civilization alive. We are restoring our ancestral heritage, the Söğütlü Mosque, the Historical Copper Bazaar, and our city square in Malatya. The Historical Parliament Building in Hatay was destroyed. It is nearing completion. We are restoring the structures on both sides of the Asi River within the framework of an urban design project. We are constructing Habibi-i Neccar, the Grand Mosque, and the historical streets of Antakya in this context. We have a coastal project in İskenderun. We attach great importance to this project as well. In Kahramanmaraş, we are carrying out the construction activities of the Wholesalers Site. We are renewing the Covered Bazaar and the Blacksmiths Bazaar in accordance with their original forms. Tomorrow, we will hold the key delivery ceremonies in Adıyaman and present our projects to our nation. With the presence of our esteemed President, we will hold a program where we will commemorate our earthquake martyrs, present our projects to our nation, and share in their happiness, hopefully tomorrow. We have the Grand Mosque in Adıyaman. Our Ministry of Culture is carrying out the restoration process, and we are constructing our Grand Mosque in a manner worthy of our history.

"THEY CAN'T EVEN MAKE A MODEL OF 201 THOUSAND HOUSES"

After his speeches, Minister Kurum answered questions from the press. In response to a question about the opposition's criticisms regarding the earthquake zone, Minister Kurum said: There is no such thing as visiting from February 6 to February 6. I have been here every week since I took office. You cannot solve the problems of our earthquake-affected brothers by just taking photos here. You will come, work hard. You will work, not create perceptions; you will produce results. You will provide tangible outcomes, not just words. I am astonished by these statements. Let them come and look at the buildings constructed in 11 provinces. Remember, during and after the earthquake, they promised the nation free housing. What happened? In one province, has a municipality run by opposition parties built even one house? Did they heal the wounds of the citizens by building one house? No, it was again political grandstanding. The Republican People's Party has been doing the same political maneuvering for 25 years to divert the agenda from their internal conflicts. I am sure that those who criticize us cannot even make a model of 201 thousand houses in this short time, a model. Let alone laying the foundation, they can't even make a model. My advice to Mr. Özgür Özel is to set aside his internal party conflicts. Hopefully, Mr. Özel will learn to appreciate effort and hard work.

"YOU HAVEN'T EVEN CLEANED A SINGLE MUD IN THE MUNICIPALITIES YOU'VE BEEN MANAGING FOR 25 YEARS"

In response to a question regarding the opposition's criticism of "you have been in power for 20 years," Minister Kurum said: We have never engaged in political grandstanding. We have never engaged in perception politics. Now they keep saying, "Well, you have been in power for 20 years." Yes, we have been in power for 25 years. But for 25 years, we have been working day and night to meet the expectations of this nation. We are taking steps to develop cities with schools, industries, infrastructure, and housing that will increase the gross domestic product. So, in the municipalities you have been managing for 25 years, you haven't even cleaned a single mud. You can criticize me, but look in the mirror. You should also do something. Isn't it the primary responsibility of the mayor? But their only concern is their own interests.

"I ADVISE ÖZGÜR ÖZEL; LET THEM TOUR WITH US"

Regarding the question, "Have you met with Özgür Özel? Would you invite him to the earthquake zone?" Minister Kurum made the following statements: I go everywhere without distinguishing between the government and the opposition. I advise Özgür Özel to tour with us. At least they might see what is being done alongside us. They will see the completed buildings. They will witness the happiness of our nation. We invite him to visit all the places in the earthquake zone. Let’s do this through your mediation. In fact, if they ask their own mayors, they will receive the same answer. Unfortunately, we are facing an understanding that does not see what is being done to exploit the earthquake victims for political gain. As I mentioned earlier, this is a lack of conscience, a lack of integrity. Do politics in another area. But do not do it here.

"OUR NATION SHOULD KNOW WELL, WE ARE NOT BLOCKING ANYONE"

Minister Kurum responded to a question regarding the potential Istanbul earthquake and Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's statements about "our services being blocked": We are talking about 600 thousand buildings that urgently need to be demolished. Neither Istanbul nor our country can withstand an earthquake in Istanbul. We do not say this for no reason; it is a matter of national security. We must all fight this battle together. That is, today, no mayor can say to me, "I went to the ministry. I made a request regarding urban transformation. However, my work, my project was blocked." They cannot say that, even regarding their other works. They have been doing politics of "we are being blocked" for 5 years. Our nation should know well that we are not blocking anyone. I say this very clearly. Whatever needs to be done, we are trying to support it from one side. When they come privately, we have also conveyed this issue to them.

Let's clean the İzmir Bay together. We said we are ready to support whatever needs to be done regarding transformation in Istanbul. We say it again. However, there is no such concern. There is no such enthusiasm. When we say this, Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu immediately responds, "You have been in power for 25 years." You have been managing Istanbul for 6 years. You have municipalities that you have managed for 25 years. Can you show even one correct example? No matter where it is in Turkey, especially in Istanbul, our Ministry will provide all kinds of support regarding transformation. It will continue to do so.

EARTHQUAKES IN THE AEGEAN: AFAD IS CLOSELY MONITORING THE PROCESS

Responding to a question about the earthquakes in the Aegean Sea, Minister Kurum stated that a similar intense seismic activity is being experienced in the region as in 2011-2012. Minister Kurum expressed that under the coordination of AFAD, the General Directorate of Meteorology is closely monitoring the process in connection with the governors of the surrounding provinces and that necessary precautions have been taken.