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The second Bosporus: the power struggle for Erdogan’s “crazy idea”
Blue and bright, the canal makes its way through Istanbul, the houses are set amidst the front gardens on the shore, sailboats and catamarans move in a marina. Eight bridges and one meter will be built under the canal. A masculine voice, accompanied by music, speaks of a new era.
The Turkish Ministry of Environment has released the video, which illustrates the “Istanbul Canal”, an artificial waterway from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea, west of the famous Bosphorus Strait. Construction is expected to start soon, cost 75 billion Turkish liras (around 1 billion euros) and be completed in seven years.
The channel is a prestigious project of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he describes as “crazy.” He says it positively. However, the opposition mayor of Istanbul and Erdogan’s rival Ekrem Imamoglu compare the video to a “Hollywood movie.” You want to avoid construction. The mayor, also known for his deliberate rhetoric, chooses drastic words. The project is a “disaster” for Istanbul, a “betrayal” and “murder” of the 16 million metropolises.
Experts warn of irreparable damage to the Istanbul ecosystem and that drinking water resources would be in danger. Critics also accuse the government of announcing work on the bridges that will lead across the canal amid the crown crisis. It is driving the project, although the pandemic will have negative consequences for the already troubled economy. Last but not least, the channel is also a projection screen for a power struggle between Erdogan and Imamoglu, which some already consider a possible presidential candidate.
Erdogan had put the issue of the Istanbul Canal on the agenda in 2011, at that time as Prime Minister. The canal is part of a series of ambitious infrastructure projects for Istanbul. The third bridge over the Bosporus and the mega airport in the north of the city have already been completed. They must be connected to the future channel by a highway.
A yacht and container port are also planned, and a new city will be built on the canal, according to the government with around 500,000 residents. Gürkan Akgün, head of the city’s urban planning and construction office, criticizes the fact that an “island” is being created in Istanbul, which is at risk of earthquakes, between the Bosporus and the new parallel channel. In an emergency, this would make evacuation and logistical support more difficult, he warns. Northern Istanbul really shouldn’t be built anyway, that was established in a so-called master plan in 2009.
The city administration filed a lawsuit and collected signatures against the channel. Mayor Imamoglu, who has been in office for about a year, has little influence on the project. Turkey is organized by the central government: Ankara decides.
Wants the channel: Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Image: EPA
Furthermore, the city parliament is dominated by Erdogan’s ruling AKP party. Erdogan always makes it clear who he thinks is in charge in the country. Already in late December, he made it clear to Imamoglu: “You do not decide on the Istanbul Canal, the authority to decide on me rests with me.”
The controversial waterway is said to be 45 kilometers long and 275 meters wide at its narrowest point, making it longer and narrower than the Bosporus, which is about 27 kilometers long and 698 meters wide at its point. more narrow. The government argues that the “Istanbul Canal” is essential to alleviate the Bosporus. Shipping traffic there is continually increasing. While an average of 50,000 ships currently cross the Bosporus annually, there could be around 86,000 in 2070, according to the estimate in the environmental impact report.
The opposition opposes this, saying that maritime traffic has decreased in the last ten years. According to statistics from the Coastal Safety Directorate, around 51,400 ships crossed the Bosporus in 2009, compared to around 41,100 in 2019, but they were getting bigger and heavier.
Free passage for merchant ships in peacetime through the Bosporus is regulated in the 1936 Treaty of Montreux. Even if ships could not be forced to use the new channel, which should cost fees, the government is confident. Environment and City Minister Murat Kurum said in December that shipping companies would prefer the new waterway because they could avoid waiting times.
This map shows the ships waiting in front of the Bosphorus. The redder the area, the more ships await. Image: Randam / CC BY-SA 4.0
In 2019, ships should have waited about 14 hours before accessing the Bosporus, he said. Tankers with dangerous loads even 30 hours. For Kurum, the “Istanbul Canal” is a project that “protects” the Bosporus. Especially container ships with dangerous cargo are a security risk.
In January Imamoglu and his team brought together experts, media representatives and citizens for a workshop on the canal. The mayor accused the government of planning a project that was based on “concrete and performance” but was not economical. Imamoglu also warned of the loss of forests, arable land and water resources.
Erdogan’s opponent: Ekrem Imamoglu. Image: AP
The “Istanbul Canal” is supposed to cross two water reservoirs: the Sazlidere dam and part of Lake Terkos. According to the city, the two reservoirs cover about a third of Istanbul’s water supply. Sazlidere lies in the middle of green meadows, herders let their animals graze there, stray dogs are lost on the shore. It is planned to destroy a large part of the lake. Lake Terkos remains intact, but experts like Selahattin Beyaz of the Istanbul Chamber of Environmental Engineers warn that the water could become polluted and the groundwater could become saline.
According to the city’s water authority, water consumption in Istanbul averaged around 2.8 million cubic meters per day in 2019. The government argues that the Melen Dam in eastern Sakarya province in Istanbul meets the needs of the city many times. Urban planner Akgün still considers the canal project “very risky”. Despite the climate crisis and at a time of diminishing sources of drinking water and rain, such plans are being made, he criticizes.
The prominent marine researcher and critic of the canal, Cemal Saydam, warns that the delicate ecological balance of the Sea of Marmara will be destroyed by the new influx. Additional biomass will be removed and harmful hydrogen sulfide will be released: Istanbul smells like rotten eggs, he predicts.
Despite all the warnings, Erdogan sticks to the plan. He calls the channel “world class work.” “For Turkey it is not appropriate to think small and act small,” he says to those who doubt and criticize. (sda / dpa)
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