Mayor Imamoglu says Kanal Istanbul project would be a disaster for Istanbul

The “Earthquake Workshop” which deals with the earthquake issue, one of the biggest disasters in front of Istanbul, began at the Istanbul Congress Center. Speaking at the event, Imamoglu evaluated Channel Istanbul, President Erdogan’s so called “crazy project”.

The IMM President pointed out that the project includes risks that could change the ecological balance system of the city both on land and at sea. Imamoglu, who referred to the project as “freak” said, “In short, this project is not even a betrayal project for Istanbul. It is literally a “murder project”. It is an unnecessary disaster project for Istanbul. When this project is over, Istanbul will be finished.”

Imamoglu went on to say, “We can’t put our heads (like an ostrich – a Turkish saying) in the sand. We won’t. The most important risk for this city is earthquake. And this risk is not such a small risk. Moreover, this risk is not only a risk for Istanbul.

It is a risk for the whole country. We are talking about the possibility of a great chaos and a national disaster in which life will stop and the economy will suffer great damage. We are talking about a major risk faced by existing 1.2 million buildings. We are talking about a risk which may cause 48 thousand buildings to be severely damaged and about tens of thousands of citizens to lose their lives”.

The mayor who criticized the fact that “Channel Istanbul” project was brought to the agenda when there was a vital issue such as the earthquake also shared following;

“I would like to ask all Istanbulites; If you had a limited budget, how would you spend it in such case?”