The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Ecology Commission Co-Spokespersons, Menekşe Kızıldere and Naci Sönmez, released a written statement concerning the floods that killed at least 17 people in North Kurdistan.

The Ecology Commission said: “We are deeply saddened by the floods that claimed lives on the 37th day of the earthquake disaster. We commemorate those who lost their lives and offer our condolences to their families and our people.”

The statement continued: “The flood disaster after last month’s earthquakes points to a management crisis. We do not want to normalize disasters and loss of lives. We all see how disasters have caused multiple crises. We see how transportation and infrastructure collapsed in the places hit by the floods. In Urfa, the floods left the city under water. Tent cities built for the traumatized earthquake victims were submerged. We see how construction lobbies that do not focus on human life and ecological systems have turned cities into graveyards for their residents after the latest earthquakes and floods. In fact, cities should be planned against any disaster. We have not witnessed any disaster planning conducted correctly in ten provinces hit by the earthquakes. We are experiencing the same situation in the most recent flood disaster.

Do the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure hold themselves responsible for the floods? Every loss caused by the shortcomings related to the city and transportation in earthquake and flood disasters is their own responsibility. It is a shame that water evacuation efforts have failed after the floods. Multiple failures after the earthquake disaster do not even make any government official feel responsible. After all these disasters, there is nothing left that the government could do. Every step they take only leads to further disasters. The fact that the tent cities built after the earthquakes were submerged by the floods reveals this lack of foresight and incompetence. After the flood disaster, we have seen how earthquake wreckage in the affected cities mixed with the underground and surface waters. We are waiting for an urgent statement from the governorships of the cities affected by the flood for the wells and tanks from where mains water is obtained in these provinces. Citizens using tap water in flood-affected areas should be careful. We must change this corrupt system as soon as possible without losing a single life. It is possible to rebuild our cities in a manner worthy of human dignity, providing a quality of life for all living beings, inclusive, resistant to disasters and without destroying ecological systems and ecological beings. It is possible to replace the centralized local administration, which cannot do anything without instructions from the central government, by an administration in which the will of the people directly influences decision-making. Together, we will establish a new life where all living beings coexist in healthy and resilient cities and countrysides.”