Two-thirds of Istanbul homes insured against earthquakes

ISTANBUL

New data from the Natural Disaster Insurance Institution (DASK) has revealed that 65 percent of the total 4.15 million houses in Istanbul, a densely populated metropolis perched on a region's seismic fault line, are now covered by compulsory earthquake insurance.

Notably, the megacity's riskiest districts, as identified by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), play a pivotal role in bolstering these insurance numbers.

These districts — including Bakırköy, Bahçelievler, Küçükçekmece, Esenler, Başakşehir, Esenyurt, Avcılar, Beylikdüzü, Büyükçekmece, Tuzla, Pendik, Maltepe, Sultanbeyli, Üsküdar and Fatih — have nearly half of the total number of houses covered by compulsory earthquake insurance in the megacity.

Out of Istanbul's 2.7 million insured residences, 1.2 million are concentrated in these 15 districts alone, emphasizing the preparedness in these high-risk areas.

Leading the charge in insurance coverage is Esenyurt, where nearly 198,000 residences are insured against earthquakes. However, only about half of the total residences in the district are currently covered by earthquake insurance.

Kadıköy, the second district with the highest insurance rate, boasts over 154,000 residences with DASK policies. Additionally, districts such as Küçükçekmece, Pendik, Maltepe and Bahçelievler, all identified as risky by AFAD, also have a substantial number of insured residences.

In contrast, Çatalca, despite having nearly 135,000 houses, has a mere 11,000 residences insured against earthquakes, translating to a meager 8 percent of the district's residences being covered.

Sultanbeyli, another district considered at risk by AFAD, presents a similar scenario. Although it has nearly 250,000 residences, only around 25,000 of them are insured against earthquakes.

Beykoz, with over 200,000 houses, lags behind in insurance coverage, with just around 23,000 residences insured.