Cliffside buildings in Türkiye’s resort town Antalya cause panic
Salim Uzun- ANTALYA
Amid the quake panic in Türkiye following the deadly Feb. 6 quakes, the topic of the dangerously risky structures in the Mediterranean province of Antalya’s cliff band has come to the agenda once again, as experts emphasized that actions should be taken as soon as possible about these residences.
Even the appearance of the buildings in the cliff band within the borders of Muratpaşa district is enough to worry citizens. While life continues in eight to 10-story buildings in the region, a cafeteria continues to host its customers despite the great risk of collapsing.
In 2013, Yıldız Technical University conducted a very important study in Antalya Konserve Bay, and the report stated that filling should be done at certain points determined by scientific methods in order to prevent the leakage of surface waters to the cliffs and to stop the regression.
No measures have been taken since then.
Mehmet Soner Akdoğan, president of the Antalya Branch Office of the Civil Engineers Chamber, said that they demanded a risk analysis be carried out on these structures as soon as possible, but unfortunately no adequate work has been done yet.
“We know that many of these structures on the cliffs are built illegally. We cannot determine the extent of the problem without a risk analysis. Therefore, action must be taken immediately. Even if this area was included in the scope of the latest zoning amnesty, these structures should be demolished,” he said.
Bayram Ali Çeltik, the president of the Antalya Branch Office of the Geological Engineers Chamber, also pointed out that the structures on the cliff area should be demolished without wasting time.
He stated that as the waves beat the cliffs with great force, it causes erosion over time and that there are fractures in some areas.
“We can see that there are buildings with cracks in their columns and beams. However, since this area is highly profitable in terms of rent, no one voices this issue,” he said.
