As part of Istanbul’s preparation for a possible strong earthquake, the Turkish authorities plan to start implementing a plan to renovate the city’s housing stock in early 2024. This was announced by Minister of Environment and Urban Development Mehmet Ozhaseki on TV-100.

«I will prepare the [renovation] plan and present it at a government meeting within 10 days. In 15-20 days, we will develop all the necessary regulations and we will be able to announce the launch of the program to our citizens from the beginning of next year,» the minister said.

Seismologists have repeatedly warned about the possibility of a strong earthquake in the Istanbul area. According to their forecasts, with tremors of magnitude 7 or more, about 90 thousand buildings of the 16-million-strong city may collapse at once, 260 thousand will be damaged and become uninhabitable, temporary housing will be needed for 4.5 million people.

«I don’t want to scare anyone, but the truth should be told: a possible [strong] earthquake in Istanbul is fraught with bad consequences for the whole of Turkey. In Istanbul, roughly speaking, there are 6 million homes and about 1.5 million jobs. It is risky to live in about 600,000 housing units, so we need a program that provides for such resettlement at the initial stage,» Ozhaseki said.