Istanbul/Cannes—As experts and scientists working in the field have warned (scroll down to the links below please), the Istanbul Canal is “premiering” this week at MIPIM, “the world’s property market” (Cannes, 10–13 March). Described by critics as “insane,” the project will not only devastate Istanbul and its environs, but also will engender dire consequences for neighboring countries as well.

Following a series of hegemonic laws recently enacted, the Turkish government has managed to evade and ignore all kinds of environmental impact assessments (EIA), either by reducing EIA merely to a meaningless red-tape exercise, or by exempting mega projects from EIA requirements.

This “crazy canal,” whether with EIA (as in the case of the 3rd Airport project with an inadequate EIA report), or without it (as I the case of the 3rd Bosphorus Bridge), the consequences of the scheme for the populations, cities and countries around it remain officially dismissed.

As Prof. Cemal Saydam warns:

“The Sea of Marmara is the child of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea that was already born with asthma. There will not be enough oxygen to cope with the excess water coming from the canal, so the sea will gradually shift to an anoxic state, As a result, h the aquatic life at İzmit and Gemlik Bays will forever disappear, and with the lack of oxygen, hydrogen sulfide will increase and cause a rotten egg smell. If you are happy to live in such an environment, it’s fine with me. But God created us in such a way that we are most sensitive to this specific odor even in small amounts...there is no way to know what other disasters will await the land and population as a result, and without a detailed oceanographic survey, no one should start that project.”

Besides, this project targets the most-precious parts of Istanbul, the Northern Forests and conservation areas that are already plundered by the 3rd Bridge project and will be further ruined by the 3rd Airport, if realized.

Taking into consideration its scale and its multiplier effect, if implemented, the Canal will be the death knell of Istanbul.

Anti-Mipim protestors in Cannes are expected to attract attention of the international community to the insanity of this project, which is imposed from top down with no consultation whatsoever with scientists, experts, academic circles and affected populations.

Kanalİstanbul dünya prömiyerinde [Istanbul Canal World Premier], BorsaMatik (11 March 2015)

Scientist Saydam: Kanal İstanbul Needs Not Be Shelved, but Scrapped, Today’s Zaman (27 October 2013)

Orhan Kemal Cengiz, Ecological disaster and self-censorship (29 August 2013)

Photo: Part of the E-5 highway between the Marmara Sea on the right and Küçükçekmece Lake. The Kanal İstanbul project, if realized, would end at this point located in the southwest of İstanbul. Source: Today`s Zaman.