How much land will lose its quality of being an agricultural land due to Canal İstanbul?

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA) - Archive

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Mersin MP Rıdvan Turan has submitted a Parliamentary question to the Speaker's Office, raising concerns over the lands that will be disqualified as forest lands or agricultural fields if the Canal İstanbul Project is carried out as planned.

In his Parliamentary question, the MP has underlined that if the project is completed, it will have an adverse effect on the dune areas, protection forests, rivers, pasturelands and agricultural lands in the northern parts of İstanbul as well as the climate of the whole city.

Turan has further noted that Canal İstanbul project will destroy water sources and inflict an irreparable and unrecoverable damage on the ecosystem of the city, which is home to hundreds of plant and animal species.

According to the figures shared by the MP, 78.83 percent of the lands within the influence area of the project are agricultural estates with different qualities, which accounts for 101 million 973 thousand 360 square meters.

'Project conflicts with the law'

Turan has also referred to the allegations that while Canal İstanbul is planned to be completed in seven years, the excavation works for the project will take four years and the total amount of soil expected to be excavated for the project is 1 billion 155 million 668 thousand cubic metres.

Within this context, he has said: "An agricultural field of 5 million 264 thousand 297 square metres defined and protected as 'absolute agricultural land' as per the Law no. 403 on Protection of the Soil and Use of Land falls within the influence area of the project. Therefore, quality agricultural lands providing food for İstanbul will disappear with the project.

* Rıdvan Turan

"The objective of the law is specified as 'determining the procedures and merits that will ensure the protection and improvement of the soil by preventing it from losing its qualities in natural or artificial ways and the use of lands in a planned manner compatible with the principle of environment-oriented sustainable development.' But the project conflicts with the law."

What precautions have been taken?

Within this context, Turan has asked the following questions:

"How much agricultural land will be affected by Canal İstanbul Project in total and how much land will lose their quality of being an agricultural land or a forest land? Was the Law on Protection of Soil and Use of Land implemented in preparing the Canal İstanbul Project?

"Has a soil protection project been prepared? Where, how and for what purpose will the fertile soil to be excavated for the project be used? 

"What precautions have been taken by the Ministry in the face of scientific reports documenting that dune areas, protection forests, rivers, pasturelands, agricultural fields, climate, ecology of the city will be adversely affected?"

(TP/SD)