Most of the residents of Istanbul are against it and protest groups have often expressed their dissatisfaction with it. But Turkish President Recep Erdogan last week left no doubts: “Whether you like it or not, the Istanbul Canal will come. It will come.”
Erdogan gave it on Saturday starting gun for the construction of the huge waterway that will connect the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. The canal will be west of Istanbul and will be 45 kilometers long, with six new bridges and luxury marinas and ultramodern residential areas on the banks.
It should be ready in six years. But so far, not an inch has been dug. For the time being, the ambitious plans only exist in flashy animations.
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The huge canal is potentially the largest infrastructure project ever in Turkey. Erdogan once called it his “insane project”. But above all it is a mega project that divides the Turks.
In the village of Sazlibosna, 1500 inhabitants, they had to read in a newspaper that their village falls within the canal project. “They’re talking about the canal, but nobody knows anything and nobody tells us anything,” said Birol, a villager. “We villagers don’t want this canal. People are losing their place. What happens to our houses if they start expropriating?”
‘Soort Dubai’
Village chief Oktay Teke, a loyal member of Erdogan’s AK party, sees opportunities. Not strange, he is also the real estate agent of the village. Since the route of the canal has been known, speculators have driven up the price of land here. “As part of the canal project, the most luxurious city will be built here. It will be something like in Dubai and in Qatar. All houses will have three, four, five floors above the ground floor. And there will be a lot of greenery.”
Teke acknowledges that the information they get is scarce. “We have heard nothing from the official side. But according to the press, no one is harmed. We are waiting.”
But according to environmental groups and city planners, there are indeed large groups of victims. The project is a disaster for nature and quality of life in Istanbul, they say. The canal cuts through nature reserves and miles of farmland and will block two large lakes that provide drinking water for millions of people.
The fiercest opposition comes from Erdogan’s political opponent Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul. The Istanbul Canal is to relieve the busy Bosphorus strait, through which 43,000 ships already pass annually, while the safe capacity is 25,000. But Imamoglu finds an artificial waterway and all the extra buildings unnecessary. “Istanbul does not need more concrete and urbanization. Istanbul wants to be a healthy city.”
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Istanbul is located on the North Anatolian Fault, a fault line where large earthquakes have often occurred in the past. A concrete canal with constructions on the banks is very vulnerable to a major earthquake, Imamoglu fears. “I say this because I am also thinking about Erdogan’s future. Because he is also one of the 16 million citizens in this city.”
But Erdogan is not thinking about stopping. For him, the canal, an old dream of many Turkish rulers, is a prestige project. According to the government, all criticism is only intended to sabotage Erdogan’s success.
“All of our government’s major projects in the past have also been criticized, such as the new Istanbul airport,” said transportation professor and AKP member Mustafa Ilicali. “That has to be explained in the right way. That the project is of great benefit to citizens who love their country.”
No money
But before building can really start, much more money is needed. Banks are reluctant to finance because of all the criticism. China is mentioned as an investor, but nothing is official yet.
In Sazlibosna they know one thing for sure: they will not have any say in the project. “People are pressured here and don’t dare to speak out,” says Birol. “They are afraid that something will happen to them. There is no other explanation.”
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