The Construction Scandal and Earthquake Unpreparedness
After the initial devastation of the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquake hitting Türkiye on the 6th of February, the country has been facing an alleviated emergency with rescue operations underway to recover survivors. Disaster struck again on the 20th of February with two more earthquakes measuring 6.4 and 5.8 in magnitude. While previous rescue missions are underway, these earthquakes are a dire reminder for Türkiye to prepare for the number of aftershocks the country is at risk of. So far 7,000 further aftershocks have been recorded after the initial two earthquakes and experts are predicting this will go on for months. So why is Türkiye facing such high death tolls and earthquake relief unpreparedness?
Türkiye is located in one of the most seismic areas in the world and thus prone to earthquakes of all high and low magnitudes, such as the 1999 earthquake in Izmit with a death toll of 17,000 people. Based on this it's safe to assume Türkiye should be better prepared for another earthquake of a large scale to strike. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit back strongly at the criticism faced for his initial response to the two earthquakes on the 6th of February with the claim it was “not possible” for earthquake preparedness of such a scale. This statement is just an attempt to cover the scandal of years of cutting corners to avoid building to the correct modern building regulations. After the 1999 earthquake disaster, the government placed more stringent building regulations in order to prevent such a great loss of life and destruction. Many of the buildings that had collapsed were not built in accordance with the building regulations, many of these including newly built apartment blocks. This includes a further 13 million more occupied buildings around Türkiye that are currently not up to the building standard and also face the same risk should another earthquake hit. Experts, such as professor of emergency planning at University of College London, David Alexander has further reiterated the extent of the scandal stating “This is a disaster caused by shoddy construction, not by an earthquake.” Evidence has made it clear, the attempts to avoid extra costs to sprout a real estate boom has come at an extreme price.
With the evidence present, one can only hope for justice to be served to those who choose safety over profit. President Erdogan’s ministry of justice has come forward to assure people proper investigation will be underway to uncover those who have avoided proper regulations. However, these investigations can fall short as the real investigations should also be accounting local councils and the government who have failed to put any real enforcement of these building regulations while promoting policies to support construction in order to foster economic growth. In order to win popularity during the 2018 election, a programme to allow any violations of buildings codes and standards to be concealed by paying a fine. Evidence points highly to the idea less damage could have been suffered had only corruption not played a part. The government needs to actively take accountability and ensure earthquake resistance for its citizens.