Post-Earthquake Population Growth in Hatay
Following the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay was one of the cities that suffered the most destruction, with thousands of buildings razed to the ground and approximately 25,000 people losing their lives. Following this great tragedy, which was called the “disaster of the century,” many people were left homeless and had to migrate either outside the city or to different districts.
However, some disaster-stricken citizens who did not want to leave their hometowns flocked to Şenköy Neighborhood in Yayladağı district, which is 20 kilometers away from Antakya district. Şenköy Neighborhood, which was one of the places where the greatest loss was experienced in terms of neighborhoods during the earthquake, had a total population of 800 before the earthquake, but with the migration, this number reached 8,000.
Sait Döş, the headman of Şenköy, the most crowded neighborhood of the Yayladağı district, made the following statement: “I estimate that our population will exceed 10 thousand in the summer months after the construction is completed.”
Rapid Population Growth in Şenköy Neighborhood
Neighborhood Headman Sait Döş, who expressed the rapid population increase after the earthquakes, said, “May God not let us experience the February 6 earthquakes again. During this period, our village was the place where Antakya was heavily inhabited and had the most martyrs in terms of neighborhoods. Şenköy was also the neighborhood that received the most migration. We have 63 houses that were damaged during the earthquakes and we are currently in the process of rebuilding these houses. Our population was around 850 before the earthquake. With our fellow countrymen who came to our village after the earthquake and those who turned their summer houses into homes again, we have now reached a population of 7,900. We predict that the population will exceed 10 thousand in the summer months. Because the constructions that have been made are a clear indicator of this. We have over 500 constructions in the neighborhood. With this situation, it is likely that we will exceed 10 thousand in the summer months. There are over 4 thousand households in the neighborhood. This number continues to increase day by day. This is a village with a development plan and is also a protected area. Therefore, people have started to rebuild their zoned lands. However, this situation can sometimes cause various disruptions. The roads, infrastructure and superstructures of our neighborhood cannot meet this intense demand. “New roads and drinking water are needed,” he said.
People Moving to Şenköy Neighborhood for a New Life
Mehmet Melekoğlu, who moved to Şenköy Neighborhood after the earthquakes to establish a new life, said, “We took shelter here after the February 6 earthquakes. Many people like me preferred this place. We are really concentrated here and it is possible to observe that the population is increasing rapidly. I am one of the first to build a house. When I first counted in 1-2 months, there were 260 constructions. “I think the number of constructions has now exceeded thousands.”
