ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – April 2012
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DIMENSION
Just like in individual problems, societal issues must be examined deeply. If you cannot identify the real problem, the effort to find a solution will be meaningless. If you diagnose a person who has fallen and broken their arm with a bruise and send them for physical therapy instead of putting them in a cast, the treatment will not only be ineffective but could even lead to further disability.
Proper treatment begins with the right diagnosis; someone with a broken arm must visit an orthopedic doctor. That doctor should specialize in orthopedics to provide the correct diagnosis and follow the appropriate treatment methods.
It's clear that we don’t bring certain issues to the forefront until a crisis strikes. After the 1992 Erzincan Earthquake, there were crucial discussions. The main issue for months was how to reduce earthquake damage and what preventive measures should be taken. Earthquake-resistant hospitals and schools, building inspections, concrete quality, and many other significant topics were on the agenda.
These topics were important at the time because hundreds of lives were lost. However, despite this, the earthquake regulation wasn’t changed until 1998. Even though it wasn’t changed, the existing 1975 earthquake regulations were not fully implemented. How do we know they weren’t followed? Simply put, we don’t need to look far—every earthquake reveals this once again.
If proper precautions had been taken after the Erzincan Earthquake in 1992, couldn’t we have prevented the tragedy of the 1999 Marmara Earthquake? Couldn’t we have avoided another devastation in Bingöl after the 2003 earthquake?
The economic impact of the Marmara Earthquake, as highlighted by TMMOB, clearly reveals the relationship between the economy and earthquakes. The earthquake-prone region accounts for 40% of Turkey's GDP and 46.7% of the added value in industrial production. The earthquake regions, including Bolu, Bursa, Eskişehir, Istanbul, İzmit, Adapazarı, Yalova, and Zonguldak, house 48.3% of the country’s workplaces and employ 47.4% of its workforce (1999 data).
Earthquake damage is truly a social wound. We cannot ignore the reasons for this wound. A significant portion of Turkey's economy, almost the entire economy, is concentrated in a few regions. Unfortunately, most of these regions are located in high-risk earthquake zones. This has been a painful lesson in the past. As a result, many citizens, having lost hope in rural areas, flock to large cities. The increase in population and commercial activity in these regions has led to the rise of slums and irregular urbanization, a longstanding issue for our country.
Earthquakes in industrial areas not only cause enormous economic damage but also significantly increase the loss of life. Therefore, reducing earthquake damage cannot be achieved by constructing earthquake-resistant buildings alone. It also requires significant social projects to be implemented in Turkey's social structure.
Today, the ongoing trend of building housing projects on the outskirts of city centers and establishing modern residential areas is leading to the rise of ghost neighborhoods. The older parts of city centers, once considered prime real estate, are now left vacant. As these areas fill up, villages are emptied, and Turkey is becoming a "city country."
It’s not hard to predict what the future holds for Turkey as a "city country." We temporarily halted the rise in unemployment with new universities, but today, those students who enrolled during that period will soon graduate and join the ranks of job seekers. We are not teaching people to fish, so it’s only natural that they want fish.
Look, we started with an earthquake topic, but we quickly shifted to migration, the economy, and unemployment. This shows that it’s impossible to address societal issues in isolation. Problems can only be solved through coordinated efforts.
Expecting structural renewal and urban transformation initiatives solely from the government or parliament would be an injustice. Urban transformation is not only a structural issue, but it’s also a social project. I truly believe that every citizen has something valuable to contribute.
On Monday, due to the earthquake in Muş, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to all the citizens in the region and to our entire country.