ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER –July 2012
WHAT SHOULD CITIZENS DO?
The law has come into effect, comments have started, and public service announcements have appeared on television. I am referring to Law No. 6306, “On the Transformation of Areas Under Disaster Risk.”
It’s possible to get an idea of what needs to be done under the law, but understanding the details is just as difficult without the regulations and guidelines. Citizens are eagerly waiting: how much money will I have to pay, will my house be demolished, what if I don’t have money, will I be a victim? These and many other questions are on people's minds.
First, it's important to note that in such a large-scale project, there will inevitably be some setbacks. However, I believe that these problems can be solved together with calmness and patience.
So, should citizens wait? Should they apply anywhere?
Currently, regulations regarding the implementation of the law are being prepared. Once the regulations are completed, relevant institutions will provide explanations to citizens regarding the procedures through the media. However, there is one important task that has not been mentioned so far, but needs to be addressed by citizens.
This is something we have been talking about for years, but never had the capacity to implement—until now, as the issue has come to a head. Under Law No. 6306, in order to carry out any work on buildings at risk of disaster, first, the buildings at risk need to be identified. In other words, a risk map of Elazığ’s structures needs to be created.
They haven’t done it, they couldn’t do it, and so on. As a result, we don’t have such a map. In Elazığ, there is no earthquake resilience report for any building. According to the law, these reports must be prepared for each building—it’s a must.
This means every building must have an earthquake report. Whether the residents or the government prepare it, the method doesn’t change. First and foremost, citizens need to have the occupancy certificate and approved building plans for their buildings.
If a building does not have approved plans, determining the structural risk level of that building becomes very difficult and time-consuming. For this reason, my advice to citizens is to locate their approved plans while there is still time.
Where will citizens find their approved plans? The approved plans are in the municipality’s archive. By applying to the zoning department with a petition, they can receive all the existing plans for their buildings. Afterward, they should make copies of all the plans and submit the original ones to the municipality.
Now, this issue, which has not been discussed at all and hasn't even been mentioned in the details, will become a real problem once the regulations are prepared and earthquake resilience reports are required for buildings. Imagine if all of Elazığ were to rush to the municipality at the same time— the institution would be unable to serve.
While there is still time, I strongly advise citizens to obtain and prepare these important documents for each building. If you have the approved plans for your building, or if you manage to obtain them, you’ve taken the first and most important step for the implementation of Law No. 6306.
The municipality should also, if necessary, make arrangements regarding the archive. Any confusion should be corrected, deficiencies should be addressed, and precautions should be taken to ensure the best service to citizens.
Let’s do our civic duty for ourselves, our families, our loved ones, our country, and our nation—let's prepare the project for our building...