Turkey Starts Construction Of 53 Thousand Houses In Provinces Affected By Earthquakes

President Erdogan during the laying of the first stone for the construction of a post-yield house in Kahramanmaras Province. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkey)

JAKARTA - The construction of 53,830 housing units has begun in the Turkish earthquake zone, with the foundation for 22,467 housing units so far, said Environment Minister Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum.

In a message published on its official social media accounts, Kurum noted that the authorities continue to lay the foundation for permanent residences to be built in the provinces affected by the deadly earthquake on February 6.

The reconstruction of 11 provinces in the earthquake zone in Turkey was declared a priority, after an earthquake measuring 7.8 and 7.5 SR razed nearly 300,000 buildings and caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their homes.

After the earthquake, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised a quick recovery for the earthquake zone, saying the country would complete housing reconstruction within one year.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the first houses and hospitals to be built in the earthquake area which was held on Thursday last week. President Erdogan said his government would prioritize urban transformation projects, reported by the Daily Sabah, March 27.

In the early stages with President Erdogan's participation, the laying of the first stone for 17,902 houses, according to the ministry, added that within one year, 319,000 houses would be built in 11 provinces.

The statement also noted that the restoration and construction process for areas affected by the earthquake was carried out through scientific methods, with careful consideration of the distance to the fault line and land liquefaction.

The completion plan involves building a house on the most sturdy soil using a tunnel staking system and a raft foundation. In addition, the designs of the houses follow a local architecture, with a maximum altitude above the ground floor of only three or four floors.

The ministry previously noted that field surveys had been carried out at 154 points across the earthquake zone to build "resilient cities" and new communities for survivors.

Earlier this month, the Turkish Parliament approved a proposal for a new law aimed at creating disaster reconstruction funds. The fund will oversee the allocation of resources for infrastructure and superstructure recovery in areas affected by various natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, fires, and landslides in areas that have been classified as "disaster zones".

It is known that more than 50,000 people in Turkey died in two devastating earthquakes that hit 11 provinces, including Adana, Administrator, Diyarbak

In addition, more than 13.5 million people in Turkey were affected by the earthquake and many others in northern Syria.