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As
disasters leave their mortal impact, and after so many innocent people lost their lives, there will be finger-
pointing and clamor for blood. Such was the case with the recent flash floods in Istanbul. Since 1967,
Istanbul suffered 13 floods which inevitably caused havoc and destruction in and around the city.
Apparently there were no flood mitigation measures put into place prior to the flash floods in September
2009. The last floods in 2002, despite the experience, had not prompted any rethinking of policies vis-à-
vis urban planning. It’s described as a “weather-related accident waiting to happen”. What happened went
beyond the term accident; it turned out to be a horrendous disaster. (i)
At the worst stage of the torrential rains, access into sections of Istanbul
Rescue workers gather near partially submerged vehicles on an Istanbul road. Photograph:
Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images
Unplanned urbanization and the resulting erosion. Inadequate drainage systems and improper land use
add on to the risks involved. Uncontrolled construction in a lax atmosphere of urban planning without
careful consideration for risk reduction is a recipe for disaster. The weight and force of any pressure
applied to the extreme limits will eventually break the walls of resistance. Any Town Planning student
knows that with extreme pressure, dams would break; sewers burst their embankments, while the roads
and streets turn into overflowing deadly waterways.
Hence, rapid urbanisation should be sustained on town planning tracks, the development to infrastructural
facilities designed corresponding to needs and the population growth. Urban development has its own
risks. Left uncontrolled, unplanned and un-managed it will be disastrous eventuality.
Surprisingly, Turkey is no stranger to flash floods. Reports prepared by the Ministry of Public Works’
General Directorate of Disaster Affairs and State Waterworks Authority (DSI) revealed that floods are
the second most destructive type of disaster in the country. According to the report, 287 floods have
occurred in Turkey in the past 20 years. Major flood disasters are again not new for Turkey.