Pendik center deemed ‘most risky’ in terms of a quake

ISTANBUL

As urban transformation works continue around Istanbul, the most risky area of Pendik district in terms of a possible quake is the center and the number of buildings built according to quake regulations issued after 1999 is only 6 percent, Pendik Mayor Ahmet Cin announced.

Mayor Cin stated that half of the buildings in the district, which has gone down in history with the name “Pantichion” since the Roman Empire, were built before the 1999 Marmara earthquake.

According to the mayor, the central Ertuğrulgazi neighborhood, an area of 2.3 million square meters where slums are dense, can be considered the most risky area in Pendik.

“Around 18,000 people live in 4,500 slums. We think that around 70,000 people will live in this area after the transformation and construction works are completed,” Cin said.

Cin noted that in the central region called Old Pendik, there are 685 houses and 93 percent of the area consists of old structures, along with 642 buildings facing the risk of collapsing during a quake.

Pointing out that residents do not want to spend a lot of money on urban transformation, the mayor said that they suggested block-based urban transformation to encourage residents.

Cin emphasized that Pendik Municipality’s team is the first accredited search and rescue team, with 40 personnel and three K-9 rescue dogs. The team has trained 4,000 people and they are planning to increase the number to 10,000 within a year.

Cin added that the district has 258 emergency assembly areas, and they are currently working on the infrastructures.