Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTSO) organized an 'Earthquake Awareness in the Construction Sector' panel. BTSO Board Member Alparslan Şenocak said, “As BTSO we have been saying for about 10 years, the recipe for salvation in our geography is spatial planning.” said.
BTSO Board Member Alparslan Şenocak, TMMOB Chamber of Architects Bursa Branch President Şirin Rodoplu Şimşek, Geological Engineers Chamber South Marmara Branch President Engin Er, Yüksek İnşaat Engineer Mehmet Atmaca, Senior Civil Engineer Ünsal Eser, Concrete Laboratory Owner Yaşar Poyraz, Lawyer Bülent Yaylalı and sector representatives attended. At the meeting, where the 6 February earthquakes, which are described as the disaster of the century, were evaluated both technically and technically, the measures to be taken before the possible Marmara earthquake were also discussed. Uludag University Vice Rector and Head of Civil Engineering Department Prof. Dr. In the panel moderated by Adem Doğangün, experts made evaluations on 'Performance Analysis Preparation Processes', 'Legal Processes', 'Earthquake Preparedness Suggestions for Bursa', 'Soil Survey Practices', 'Concrete Practices', 'Disaster Resistant Planning and Construction'.
“We Should See the Transformation Process as a Matter of National Security and National Sovereignty”
Alparslan Şenocak, Member of the Board of Directors of BTSO, who made the opening speech of the panel, said that the earthquake is a common problem not only for the region, but also for all of Turkey, which has to live with this reality. Referring to the importance of creating the conditions for providing vital safety and preventing losses in a possible earthquake, Şenocak said, “Because of its dense population and its location close to fault lines, the Marmara basin, including Bursa, is among the most risky regions of the world in terms of earthquakes. A possible disaster in Marmara is at a level that will affect half of our country's national income together with the surrounding provinces under threat, as well as the loss of life that we do not even want to think about. As a result, we have to evaluate the transformation process as a matter of national security and national sovereignty for our country. As BTSO, we have been saying for about 10 years, the recipe for salvation in this geography is spatial planning.” said.
“There Are 8 Thousand Businesses Stuck in Unplanned Industrial Areas in the City of Bursa”
Alparslan Şenocak said, “Only in Bursa, there are more than 8 thousand production facilities with the 'Industry Registry Certificate', which are stuck in unplanned industrial areas in the city. While moving these facilities to planned industrial areas with the logic of SME OIZ, Bursa will have achieved both a smart urbanism and a more competitive identity. In our study on this subject, more than 4 thousand companies conveyed their request to move to planned industrial areas to our chamber.” said. Şenocak said, “If the spatial planning is realized and the way for the SME OIZ project is opened, the production facilities stuck in the city will be moved to the planned areas in a short time” and continued as follows: At least 15 million square meters of reserve area will be created in order to create safe houses and safe structures. In addition, we aim to create storage areas outside the city for the logistics sector. The process of collecting requests in this regard will also begin in the coming days. We will continue our efforts to ensure that these projects, which are of critical importance for our Bursa and our country, come to life as soon as possible.”
“The Earthquakes in Turkey and Japan Are Not Comparable”
Uludag University Vice Rector and Head of Civil Engineering Department Prof. Dr. Adem Doğangün stated that the earthquakes in Turkey and Japan should not be compared with each other and said, “The earthquakes in Turkey are very close to the ground. There is no example of the February 6 earthquakes in recent history. The structures there were subjected to 6-7 blows in a row with intense violence. The structures that remained intact survived because they were built above the technical permission limits of the structure with engineering foresight.” said.
“Inspection Mechanism Should Be Developed”
TMMOB Chamber of Architects Bursa Branch President Şirin Rodoplu Şimşek said that resilient structures are needed for healthy cities. Stating that a common movement culture should be developed in all disciplines, Şirin Rodoplu Şimşek said, “There is a lack of control at many points. Like every Chamber, we, as the Chamber of Architects, sent our expert teams to cities where earthquakes were effective. The buildings built according to the regulation have survived, the situation is as clear as that. We can't just talk about concrete and iron for a safe city. We should evaluate the plans on the basis of scientific facts. We have to improve the monitoring mechanism.” said.
Bursa is at Great Risk
Engin Er, Head of the South Marmara Branch of the Chamber of Geological Engineers, said that there are fault lines in Bursa that will produce earthquakes of 7.6 and above, and that there is a risk of liquefaction in all districts except Keles, Orhaneli, Büyükorhan and Harmancık. Noting that the poor soil properties are the most important factor increasing the intensity of the earthquake, Er said, "An earthquake measuring 7 magnitude can be felt at 9 magnitude on a disturbed ground." he said.
“Let's Put Our Hats In Front of Us and Think”
Concrete Laboratory Owner Yaşar Poyraz said, “Let's reconsider the responsibility of our signature in the building production process. Let's put our hat in front of us and think again. We examined concrete samples taken from destroyed buildings in Hatay. There is an example of concrete that is muddy when mixed with water. Every part of the audit processes should be questioned again.” he said.
Senior Civil Engineer Mehmet Atmaca said, “As long as the project is adhered to, earthquake resistant buildings can be built. It is vital for all of us to inspect the existing building stock and carry out the necessary studies.” said.