In Amed (Diyarbakır), one of the cities affected by the earthquake centered in Mereş (Maraş) on February 6, 2023, 411 people lost their lives and many others were injured. 6 buildings collapsed in the earthquake and hundreds of buildings were heavily damaged. Some of the heavily damaged buildings have not been demolished even though 1 year and 8 months have passed since the earthquake. Emptied buildings came to the agenda again after the 5.9-magnitude earthquake in Meletî (Malatya) on October 16, which was also felt in Amed.  

 

'NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE NOT BEEN TENDERED'

 

Mahsum Çiya Korkmaz said that with the recent earthquake, these buildings have become even more dangerous. Stating that nearly 600 heavily damaged buildings were identified after the February 6 earthquake, Korkmaz stated that nearly 550 of the buildings that were not retrofitted turned into heavily damaged buildings. “The buildings that are currently being demolished are the buildings that have been converted from moderately damaged to heavily damaged. They made the demolition tender very late this year, we don't know why they made it late. Despite the calls, demolitions started late and there are still a few neighborhoods that have not been tendered yet” he said. 

 

'THERE ARE RISKY BUILDINGS'

 

Pointing out that buildings that pose a risk are further damaged in aftershocks, Korkmaz said: “There are also buildings that pose a risk outside the identified buildings. Nearly a thousand civil engineers, architects, electrical engineers and mechanical engineers we commissioned from TMMOB worked in the field with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. We were not involved in the decision-making phase and we were not involved in the consultations before the decision was made. They did not include us in such a thing. Not only us, they did not involve anyone authorized in this field. They did it themselves, they demolished it themselves, they were left under the rubble themselves.” 

 

'AMED IS NOT READY FOR AN EARTHQUAKE'

 

Stating that the damaged buildings were not demolished according to the demolition regulations, Korkmaz said that he had filed complaints to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and that such a situation would not have happened if they had followed the process as İMO. Stating that Amed is not ready for a possible earthquake, Korkmaz said: “We cannot say that any building that has not received engineering services is strong. Apart from that, the 'disaster gathering areas' determined by AFAD and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization are very inadequate. There are hardly any areas where people can gather and protect themselves in the event of an earthquake. None of us can give assurances about old buildings and illegal structures. We are in coordination with the Amed Metropolitan Municipality; we will be working on an inventory of the city. As İMO, we alone cannot overcome the healthy construction stock of a city, a serious program can be put forward together with all institutions and the city can be improved.”