Prime Minister 'crazy project' for Istanbul
Prime Minister 'crazy project' for Istanbul
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has unveiled what he called his “crazy project” for Ýstanbul. In few words, it involves the creation of a second strait in the city to minimize the affects of tanker collisions and flooding.
The Prime Minister proudly announced his project at the Haliç Congress Center in Ýstanbul. According to the PM the new project, called Kanal Ýstanbul, seeks to fortify the city against natural disasters.
Erdoðan called it the project of the century. “Ýstanbul is the summary of Turkey. It is the heart not only of Turkey with its beauty, but of the entire world. Every service you take to Ýstanbul is a service done to Anatolia and Thrace and to humanity. Today, we are sharing the excitement of giving a new service to this amazing city.” he said adding that he has had the project in mind even before he served as mayor of the city. Erdoðan recalled that Ýstanbul had experienced a major catastrophe when the vessel M/T Independenta, a Romanian oil tanker, collided with a freighter in 1979 at the southern entrance of the Bosporus and exploded. The wreck of the Independenta burned for weeks, causing colossal air and marine pollution in Ýstanbul.
“To prevent any possible act of unfair practices, I will continue to keep the project's exact location and its cost secret. I will not announce those details today.” said the PM.
The prime minister said the location and the cost estimates for the project were more or less certain. “The surveying phase alone will take two years. It is only natural that such a gigantic project will be subject to geographic and cost changes during the process.”
“There are countless cities in the world where rivers pass through. But the only city in the world with a sea through it is Ýstanbul. With our project, Ýstanbul is now turning into a city with two seas through it. With this project, two peninsulas and one island will be formed. The Anatolian side is already a peninsula. But now there will be an island, and another peninsula. We are building a canal of approximately 45-50 kilometers in the west of Ýstanbul between the Black Sea and the Marmara.”
He said the water level of the canal would be about 25 meters, while the width of the water service will be around 150 meters. “The largest vessels of the world will be able to pass through. Land and rail transportation will not be interrupted in any way thanks to bridges we will build over the canal.” He said the earth and rubble from the construction would amount to millions of cubic meters, saying the excavated earth will be used in the construction of a large sea port and airport, adding that working mines near the project site were likely to be shut down. “This project greatly concerns Ýstanbul, our country and the entire world.”
Erdoðan said that the project will put an end to oil spills and other environmentally damaging accidents in the straits. “Accidents that occur from time to time have turned the Bosporus into hell. We are saving Ýstanbul, which accounts for 40 percent of Turkey's national income from such a huge threat, and taking steps to ensure the safety of Ýstanbul residents and preserve our cultural assets. We are ending commercial traffic in the strait completely with Kanal Ýstanbul.”
He said 150 vessels on average will pass through the new canal, and the Bosporus will return to its glory as a natural center for water sports and for the city's internal transportation.
Erdoðan said they also intended to open congress, festival, exhibition centers and sport facilities as well as new housing units. He also gave details on the planned airport, saying they were aiming to establish a new airport with a capacity of handling 60 million flights a year. “The canal area will be an attraction center for tourists, and the project will also turn the Bosporus into a center of attraction. The canal's water won't be still water. Kanal Ýstanbul will not damage Ýstanbul's underground or aboveground resources. It will not in any way cause a water shortage problem in Ýstanbul.”
He also stated that the funding for the project had been secured. “There is absolutely no problem in financing the canal. A large number of scientists and experts from architects to engineers and archeologists will work in the survey phase in the first two years. We will be open to every constructive proposal during this phase. We will work together with our civil society organizations and universities.” Erdoðan said the government will mostly use land owned by the Treasury during the construction of the canal.
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kýlýçdaroðlu asked, “How is this a new project?”. Kýlýçdaroðlu said the idea of opening a canal that will connect the Marmara to the Black Sea to bypass the Bosporus strait has been a dream of many since the Ottoman times.
The Prime Minister proudly announced his project at the Haliç Congress Center in Ýstanbul. According to the PM the new project, called Kanal Ýstanbul, seeks to fortify the city against natural disasters.
Erdoðan called it the project of the century. “Ýstanbul is the summary of Turkey. It is the heart not only of Turkey with its beauty, but of the entire world. Every service you take to Ýstanbul is a service done to Anatolia and Thrace and to humanity. Today, we are sharing the excitement of giving a new service to this amazing city.” he said adding that he has had the project in mind even before he served as mayor of the city. Erdoðan recalled that Ýstanbul had experienced a major catastrophe when the vessel M/T Independenta, a Romanian oil tanker, collided with a freighter in 1979 at the southern entrance of the Bosporus and exploded. The wreck of the Independenta burned for weeks, causing colossal air and marine pollution in Ýstanbul.
“To prevent any possible act of unfair practices, I will continue to keep the project's exact location and its cost secret. I will not announce those details today.” said the PM.
The prime minister said the location and the cost estimates for the project were more or less certain. “The surveying phase alone will take two years. It is only natural that such a gigantic project will be subject to geographic and cost changes during the process.”
“There are countless cities in the world where rivers pass through. But the only city in the world with a sea through it is Ýstanbul. With our project, Ýstanbul is now turning into a city with two seas through it. With this project, two peninsulas and one island will be formed. The Anatolian side is already a peninsula. But now there will be an island, and another peninsula. We are building a canal of approximately 45-50 kilometers in the west of Ýstanbul between the Black Sea and the Marmara.”
He said the water level of the canal would be about 25 meters, while the width of the water service will be around 150 meters. “The largest vessels of the world will be able to pass through. Land and rail transportation will not be interrupted in any way thanks to bridges we will build over the canal.” He said the earth and rubble from the construction would amount to millions of cubic meters, saying the excavated earth will be used in the construction of a large sea port and airport, adding that working mines near the project site were likely to be shut down. “This project greatly concerns Ýstanbul, our country and the entire world.”
Erdoðan said that the project will put an end to oil spills and other environmentally damaging accidents in the straits. “Accidents that occur from time to time have turned the Bosporus into hell. We are saving Ýstanbul, which accounts for 40 percent of Turkey's national income from such a huge threat, and taking steps to ensure the safety of Ýstanbul residents and preserve our cultural assets. We are ending commercial traffic in the strait completely with Kanal Ýstanbul.”
He said 150 vessels on average will pass through the new canal, and the Bosporus will return to its glory as a natural center for water sports and for the city's internal transportation.
Erdoðan said they also intended to open congress, festival, exhibition centers and sport facilities as well as new housing units. He also gave details on the planned airport, saying they were aiming to establish a new airport with a capacity of handling 60 million flights a year. “The canal area will be an attraction center for tourists, and the project will also turn the Bosporus into a center of attraction. The canal's water won't be still water. Kanal Ýstanbul will not damage Ýstanbul's underground or aboveground resources. It will not in any way cause a water shortage problem in Ýstanbul.”
He also stated that the funding for the project had been secured. “There is absolutely no problem in financing the canal. A large number of scientists and experts from architects to engineers and archeologists will work in the survey phase in the first two years. We will be open to every constructive proposal during this phase. We will work together with our civil society organizations and universities.” Erdoðan said the government will mostly use land owned by the Treasury during the construction of the canal.
Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kýlýçdaroðlu asked, “How is this a new project?”. Kýlýçdaroðlu said the idea of opening a canal that will connect the Marmara to the Black Sea to bypass the Bosporus strait has been a dream of many since the Ottoman times.
