MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Semsûr (Adıyaman)- Five months have passed since two devastating earthquakes struck Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria. Despite that, people have housing problems in the cities affected by the earthquakes. The construction works of the TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey) continue for earthquake survivors in three areas of Semsûr (Adıyaman). According to the official statements, 68 percent of the city's buildings received damage in the earthquakes. While the construction of buildings in Karadağ, Örenli and İndere (Zey) areas close to the city center continues despite the aftershocks, dynamites have been used for the construction. The citizens, who have complained about the explosions that have been going on every day for months, said that the explosions have affected both their homes and their psychology.

Construction continues despite the aftershocks

There are 8,282 buildings across the city; 5,953 of them collapsed in the earthquakes and 2,329 of them will be demolished urgently. While extractors continue to remove debris from demolished buildings, the public health is ignored in these efforts. In the city, the new buildings are built by the TOKİ in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. According to the official statement, 64.500 buildings will be built in the city for the earthquake survivors. In March, the construction of 614 buildings started and the construction of these buildings will be reportedly completed in six months.

Dynamites are detonated every day

However, dynamites are used for the construction of the buildings. According to the local people, at least three dynamites are detonated every day. Due to the explosions, citizens cannot enter their slightly damaged houses. The local people say they go out, thinking that another earthquake hits them with every explosion.

The residents of Fatih neighborhood, who feel the explosions more, said, “They destroy the undamaged buildings while trying to build new buildings.” Dilber Yücetaş, one of the residents, told us that her house was destroyed due to the construction of new buildings. “Children cannot enter their houses because they are afraid of the explosions,” she added.

‘They destroy houses while buildings new houses’

“We often feel aftershocks,” Dilber Yücetaş said, “Now, we feel the explosions. We enter our houses but when dynamites are detonated, we go out again. Today, we felt five explosions. We cannot sleep at night because we are scared. Whenever a dynamite is detonated, we think it is an earthquake. They destroy our houses while building new houses. Something should be done to end this. Our children do not want to enter houses anymore. The tents are full of snakes, scorpions and mice. We have no space to live now.”

‘Explosions cause cracks in our houses’

Aysel Çelik, another resident in the neighborhood, told us that they could not understand anymore which one is an aftershock or explosion of dynamites. Calling on the authorities to find a solution, she said, “Since the earthquakes, we have hardly stayed in our houses. Now, they detonate dynamite in Karadağ. Whenever they detonate dynamites, they destroy our houses. The ongoing explosions cause cracks in our houses.”