1,700-year-old waterway on verge of collapse due to dynamites
ISTANBUL
A 1,700-year-old ancient waterway from the East Roman Empire era in Istanbul’s Çatalca district is on the verge of collapse due to dynamites planted by a sand quarry company.
“The muhtars [neighborhood heads] of some 37 villages have taken it to the officials to stop the company’s activities, but the company continued its illegal work in the protected region,” daily Milliyet reported.
According to the locals, the first division of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Directorate ordered the company to stop the activities on June 26. The company did not respond to the order, but showing their license, they went on dynamiting the area until July 23.
“The report of the division openly shows that the waterway has been half-damaged. The company should be stopped,” said Eren İpçizade, a member of the Association of the North Forest, an organization formed to protect the forests in Çatalca.
“We have certified their illegal process. This sand quarry company should be closed as soon as possible,” added İpçizade.
In the criminal complaint, the muhtars stressed that the region of the waterway located is one of the “seven wonders of the ancient engineering.”
“The wildlife has been endangered and the eco-system is damaged. The company has dealt a blow to the ancient waterway,” said in the official complaint.
