In Semsûr, one of the cities most heavily affected by the February 6 earthquakes centered in Mereş (Maraş), earthquake survivors have been forced to continue living in container housing for the past three years.

 

It was decided that 75 thousand housing units would be built to replace the homes destroyed in the earthquake in Semsûr. Of these, 43 thousand 500 were to be constructed by TOKİ and Emlak Konut, while 31 thousand 500 were launched under the On-Site Transformation Project.

 

However, the housing projects initiated by TOKİ and Emlak Konut have not yet been completed. Since authorities stated that the homes would be delivered by the end of 2025, TOKİ and Emlak Konut handed over thousands of apartments to residents without completing construction.

 

Tuncay Kaya, Secretary of the Semsûr Provincial Coordination Board of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), said that according to the state, the housing projects have been completed and the keys have been handed over to residents, but in reality 16 thousand 500 housing units are still under construction. He pointed out that there are serious infrastructure deficiencies, including the lack of natural gas connections, electricity, and drinking water.

 

Kaya stated that the newly built TOKİ housing is located far outside the city and lacks social facilities. He noted that in the İndere area, where 16 thousand 500 housing units are being built, a vast residential zone has been created, yet there is no bakery, only a single market, and residents face significant transportation problems.

 

Emphasizing that buildings constructed under the On-Site Transformation Project also pose major problems, Kaya said many construction projects have come to a halt due to staged payments and constantly rising inflation. He added that many homes could not be completed at the final stage, and noted that under this project, the state issued contractor licenses to individuals who had never built housing before the earthquake, which negatively affected construction quality and progress.

 

Recalling that authorities had promised that housing would be completed within one and a half years after the earthquake, Kaya said that despite three years having passed, people are still living in containers. “At present, 13 thousand 962 families are living in container cities in our province. In total, 46 thousand 570 citizens are still living in containers. This is a serious figure and it needs to be resolved as soon as possible,” he said.

 

Kaya also stated that when existing data is shared, the state puts pressure on people to evacuate container settlements, citing coverage by opposition media. He added: “Yes, there should have been a transition from container cities to permanent housing. But if there are problems in the delivery of housing, pressure should not be put on citizens to vacate the containers.”

 

MA / Omer Akin