‘Over 500 families have been affected by Hatay fires’

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Hatay MP Suzan Şahin has addressed the General Assembly of the Parliament regarding the fires that razed Turkey's southern province of Hatay last week.

Şahin has noted that a 300-hectare area has been razed by the fires. "Regardless of the cause of the fire, it is a duty of the state to protect forests," Şahin has protested, calling on the government to declare Hatay province a "disaster area" in the face of this recent situation where over 500 families have been affected by the fires.

According to Şahin, nearly 60 houses and workplaces have been affected by the fires,which could be taken under control in three days thanks to the efforts of 362 excavators and 1,766 personnel in total.

While 610 personnel and 94 vehicles of the Hatay Metropolitan Municipality and 800 personnel of the Directorate General of Forestry took part in the fire-fighting efforts, the governor's office, sub-governor's offices, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), security forces and teams from neighboring provinces also supported the efforts.

Allegations about the fires

Suzan Şahin has also touched upon three allegations about the Hatay fires. As indicated by the MP, the first allegation is that a tender for mine exploration will be lodged for 766 different areas across Turkey and, as nine of these areas are in Hatay province, the fires were allegedly a sabotage to clear the way for the mines to be opened there.

"While the second allegation is that these fires were set by the separatist, heinous terrorist organization, the third allegation is a transformer explosion."

'It must be declared a disaster area'

"Several people whose homes and workplaces have been damaged are now homeless and jobless," Şahin has noted, reiterating that the "AKP government must declare the area a disaster area and support citizens in the face of this situation that has affected over 500 families, cover their material damage and fulfill its Constitutional obligations."

The MP has also raised concerns that while Turkey's Constitution and laws stipulate that General Directorate of Forestry shall prevent and extinguish forest fires and protect forests, Hatay province does not have its own Provincial Directorate of Forestry. That being the case, when a fire erupts, like the recent ones in Amanos Mountains, the teams of neighboring provinces directorates of forestry intervene in fires.

She has also protested that while Turkey can allocate budget for "the projects of unearned income, such as Canal İstanbul," there is still a lack of fire-fighting aircraft. "Why cannot a tender be lodged for aircraft for months? Where are these planes," she has asked.

17,824 hectares have been razed in 2 years

CHP Hatay MP Şahin has also referred to the statistics of the General Directorate of Forestry regarding the fires that have broken out in Turkey in the last two years. According to these figures, 17 thousand 824 hectares of land, which equals the size of 24 thousand 250 football fields, have been razed in 4 thousand 700 forest fires that have erupted in two years.

98 percent of these fires were intentionally set by humans, especially for agriculture and husbandry and other economic reasons.

While forests account for 27.2 percent (21 million hectares) of Turkey's entire territory, 57 percent of these forests face the risk of fires.

Fires in Hatay

The forest fire that broke out in the district of Belen in the southern province of Hatay in the morning hours on October 9 spread to İskenderun and Arsuz districts in the evening. Having affected residential areas as well, the fires could be taken under control in the evening hours on October 10. The cooling efforts were completed on October 12.

Taken into custody in relation to the fire on October 12, two people were arrested on October 13. Making a statement on the same day, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli said that the razed areas were under Constitutional protection. "Not even a single square meter of the burned areas will be used for another purpose and the entire area will be reforested," the Minister added. (TP/SD)