Izmir’s Biggest Problem: The City’s Collapse
Prof. Dr. Doğan Yaşar, a member of the Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Change Working Group of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), emphasized that the biggest problem of İzmir is the subsidence problem of the city, and stated that the sea level rises between 2.5 and 3 millimeters every year and this figure reaches up to 1.5 centimeters in Izmir. Yaşar drew attention to the subsidence of the filling areas under the weight of the buildings.
Yaşar stated that in the heavy rainfalls experienced in the past years, water entered 300-400 meters in Alsancak and that this situation was a warning. Sharing details about the collapse of the city, Yaşar emphasized that the elevation should be raised in the construction of buildings.
When the collapsed problem was experienced in Izmir was examined from a historical perspective, Prof. Dr. Yaşar touched upon the importance of the measures taken during the construction of the Kordon in 1873 and drew attention to the importance of the work done to prevent the collapse of buildings.
A Long Term Solution is Needed
Emphasizing that Izmir’s biggest problem is subsidence, Prof. Dr. Doğan Yaşar stated that the city needs to find a solution in the long term. Expressing that the measures to be taken in case of subsidence of the city should be planned now, Yaşar stated that building a tower or a wall is not enough, and that raising the level or abandoning the area are more logical solutions.
Yaşar, who stated that the problem of subsidence should be taken seriously for the future of İzmir, emphasized that the municipality should conduct a detailed study with experts on the subject. Yaşar, who stated that if the subsidence of the city cannot be prevented, sea water could reach Basmane and the Kordon coastline would start to smell, stated that the problem required an urgent solution.
