The Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has said a controversial project for the construction of an artificial sea-level waterway in İstanbul is under way, contradicting the ruling party’s mayoral candidate for İstanbul, the Birgün daily reported.
The canal that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls his “crazy project” will bisect the European side of İstanbul to connect the Black Sea to the Marmara and Mediterranean seas.
During his campaign, when asked about the project, Murat Kurum, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s İstanbul mayoral candidate for the local elections on March 31, has given evasive answers, occasionally saying that the canal is “not on their agenda,” in an apparent attempt to retain the support of voters opposed to the project.
In an effort to verify Kurum’s claim, Birgün on March 6 asked the ministry about the canal project via the Presidential Communications Center (CİMER) hotline and online system. “Will the Canal Istanbul project be carried out?” the daily asked.
The ministry responded on March 14, saying that “work is continuing in coordination with the relevant institutions.”
The ministry added that engineering work for the project has been completed and the zoning plans are progressing in phases. It further noted that work concerning the construction of roads situated along the route of the canal has also started.
Turkish media also reported recently that the Kanal Istanbul project was included in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure’s plan for the years 2024-2028. According to the plan, 30 percent of the canal will be completed by 2027 and 45 percent by 2028.
Construction of the canal started on June 26, 2021.
While Erdoğan and his AKP government claim the channel is necessary for the safety of İstanbul’s Bosporus Strait, which sees heavy marine traffic, critics of the project argue it is aimed at generating money for pro-AKP circles and will damage the environment and could even worsen the earthquake risk in the city of more than 15 million.
The plans to construct the canal also opened up a debate about Turkey’s commitment to the 1936 Montreux Convention, which is aimed at demilitarizing the Black Sea by setting strict commercial and naval rules on passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits leading to the Mediterranean.
The İstanbul 11th Administrative Court last month canceled the Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Ministry-approved zoning plans for the project, siding with objections against it.
The lawsuit against the development plan was filed by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), which requested the cancellation of the proposed changes to the plan, arguing they were contrary to the public interest and posed irreparable harm to vital agricultural lands, forest areas and water basins crucial for the city’s future.
The AKP is hoping to win back İstanbul and other major cities that it lost to the opposition in the 2019 local election.
