'An era of multiple disasters': How concrete and construction caused Istanbul to flood
Gulshah Aktan feels lucky to be alive after flood waters trapped her in a bus for four and a half hours. Grey water swirled around her legs before locals in the Ayazaga district of northern Istanbul were able to pull her and other passengers to safety. “We thought we were going to die,” Ms Aktan, 28, told The National . She and her aunt Dilek survived, but the family’s electrical goods repair…
In the wake of the heaviest rainfall in over 80 years, Istanbul, a city of 16 million residents, is grappling with the aftermath of catastrophic flooding. Eight lives were lost, with many more swept away by the meter-high waters. The floods have left a city of concrete and cement in ruins, with buildings crumbling and infrastructure destroyed.
Among the hardest hit is a family in Ayazaga district, where Gulshah Aktan and her aunt Dilek were rescued from a bus, but their electrical goods repair shop was inundated, losing 40 computers and equipment valued at 5-6 million Turkish liras. The floodwaters, described as "grey and swirling," trapped the passengers for four and a half hours, leaving them with no choice but to trust that they would survive.
Experts warn that such catastrophic events are becoming inevitable due to the city's rapid development, with natural waterways replaced by concrete structures. Urban planners and a climate scientist have called for a reconsideration of development approaches, urging authorities to prioritize public-interest planning and environmental sustainability.
Although more research is needed to determine if individual weather events are directly caused by climate change, the experts agree that extreme weather patterns are becoming the new normal, and Turkey must adapt accordingly.
Written by urgent.news from The National Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
