Minister announces 1.5 million risky buildings in earthquake-prone Istanbul

The Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, Mehmet Özhaseki, announced that there are approximately 1.5 million risky buildings in Istanbul. He emphasized that the megacity is among the top 10 most earthquake-prone metropolises in the world, and highlighted that nearly 800,000 houses have been transformed in the past 11 years. As part of the inspections, Özhaseki stated that they have identified new reserve areas for around 150,000 houses on the Anatolian side and 200,000 houses on the European side. He added, 'Next week, we will start working on this. We need to set up a special unit for Istanbul and implement our plans as quickly as possible. We must prepare Istanbul for earthquakes by putting forth serious laws and acting swiftly.' The Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, Mehmet Özhaseki, announced that there are approximately 1.5 million risky buildings in Istanbul. Özhaseki emphasized that Istanbul is among the top 10 metropolitan areas in the world with the highest earthquake risk and highlighted that nearly 800,000 residences have been transformed in the last 11 years. Özhaseki stated that within the scope of the examinations, they have identified new reserve areas for approximately 150,000 residences on the Anatolian side and 200,000 residences on the European side. He also mentioned that they will begin the work next week. Özhaseki emphasized the need to establish a special unit for Istanbul and to quickly implement their comprehensive plans. He highlighted the importance of putting forward serious regulations to prepare Istanbul for earthquakes as quickly as possible. Bakan Özhaseki, during a meeting with media representatives in Ankara, announced that urban transformation has been carried out in all 39 districts of Istanbul. Özhaseki stated that there are approximately 5.8 million independent units throughout the city, and out of these, 1.5 million units are considered risky. However, 600,000 of these units appear to be much more risky and could potentially collapse as a priority in the first phase. He stated, 'We have an obligation to urgently transform 600,000 units and then address the 1.5 million structures that appear to be risky.'