Evaluation of Istanbul Canal Project : Facts about it
The Istanbul Canal and its impacts on the city makes busy the citizens of Istanbul and also rest of Turkey nowadays.The canal is assumed as a second route to interconnect the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea . The authorities of the state were willing to realize this insane project through the history of Turkey, especially in some determined periods. However the government indicated it as a real project in 2011 and. in July 2021 ,after a long discussion and planning stage, the excavation phase of the canal was started.It assumed as an alternative of the Bosphorus Strait ,which is the host of forty-eight thousand various ships annually (military, cargo, cruise, etc). This project is aiming protecting historical and natural heritage of city which is located through the coastline . They are scoping to prevent collision and explosion risks in the Bosphorus ,like the Explosion of Beirut ,in last year. Moreover it is planned to reduce marine traffic and waiting time of the ships on the Sea of. Marmara. Currently the waiting time for a ship is approximately 14 hours. Additionally Turkey cannot gain any money from the passes because of the Montreux Convention (1936) and also authorities are planning to have an additional income which is equal 8 billion USD per year. In addition a new and well planned city will raise near the Istanbul Canal as a commercial and logistical center of Istanbul, with approximately five hundred thousand population. Also the ports and marinas will locate at this new created city.
(Photo 1 – The crew of a military ship is passing through the Bosphorus Strait/ Source – Instagram account of NATO)
This massive project has numerous effects on the environment and sociocultural background of Istanbul. The size of the canal is 360 meters width and 21 meters deepth with a 45 kilometers longitud which is crossing the Çatalca Peninsula directly and it produces 1.17 billion m3 filling materials . It is a challenging responsibility to carry out the transfer stuff. This process can cause some environmental problems. Because it is equal approximately 55.000.000 headway in one way with the normal size trucks. It is also pointing a serious CO2 emision and harmful actions for the flora and fauna of the current and destination points of the loads. What’s more it can damage some archaeological and historical underground ruins. For instance under the central and historical railway station of the city (Haydarpaşa Railway Station)were founded some ruins from the Khalkedon city. It is extremely possible to find such historical heritages in the cities like Istanbul. In addition it is another serious problem that extreme transfer of the dangerous organic substance from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Currently the Black Sea is one of the most polluted seas of the Europe because of the rivers Danube, Dniester and Dnieper which are transfering industrial waste product of the continent to the Black Sea. This horrible stream can destroy or reduce the biodiversity on the surface and ground of the Sea of Marmara . Therefore it can cause smell of decay around the city and this case can reduce air quality directly. Recently Istanbul is suffering from the sea snot (marine mucilage) problem in the coasts of the city especailly in the Sea of Marmara.Consequently an additional problem about marine life may be vital for all of the sea creatures and also people who are living in the city.
(Photo 2 – The route of the Istanbul Canal/ Source – NATO Defense College Foundation)
Over and above the Istanbul Canal project has an important effect on the water supply and water sources of the city. The route of the canal is passing through the Lake Küçükçekmece and destroying this natural lagoon and its biodiversity entirely. Also the route of the canal coincides with the Reservoir of Sazlıdere which is one of the determined water source of Istanbul. It is supplying the water of the 13 districts of the city. In the starting the canal does not destroy the reservoir totally but in the near future ,because of the salty water transfer, the Reservoir of Sazlıdere will be completely useless. Furthermore the Project is going to contaminate the underground water sources and aquifers. Before the canal reaches its final point on the Black Sea it will also contact with the Terkos Lake ,which is another considerable water source of the city, and damages this lake and the graoundwaters near it. In the last decade, Istanbul faced with water shortages a couple of times especially in the summers. It is a significant problem with the rapidly growing population of Istanbul. In the future it may be a permanent problem for the resident of the city.
As a result the project of Istanbul Canal damages and destroys the agricultural lands, forests, pastures, water sources and biodiversity on the sea and land. Therefore it can cause a natural disaster for Istanbul. Besides it is possible to solve the current problems of the city in seven years with the massive budget of the Project which is equal 15 billion USD. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project is released in January . However citizens still have some questions and worries about the necessity of the canal. According to the polls 80% of the population of Istanbul opposes to the project and the people who are living in the city organize actions against it with the global foundations like Greenpeace and World Wide Fund, and also individually.
Mustafa Cenk Civelek
