Turkiye sits atop the Anatolian plate, sandwiched between two major faults: the East Anatolian fault and the North Anatolian fault. The Eastern fault is where the Arabian plate — carrying Syria along with the rest of Arabia — collides with the Anatolian plate, with the effect of Turkiye being pushed westwards at the rate of about two centimetres a year. This means that Turkiye and Syria, already prone to earthquakes, may find themselves facing more such catastrophes in the future.

Also, given that precise earthquake prediction remains an inexact science, the only real way forward is to try and reduce or otherwise mitigate the damage done by such natural disasters; the scale of the current quake is such that avoiding mass death destruction was, of course, impossible, but as details emerge, it is increasingly becoming clear that negligence and violation of building codes have played a major role in exacerbating the disaster.

The last major earthquake to strike Turkiye was in Izmit in 1999, claiming 17,000 lives. Soon after, public anger was directed at prominent businessmen and builders such as Metin Kocal in the resort city of Yalova, many of whose luxury six-storey apartment buildings collapsed like a house of cards, killing dozens of people. Metin and other builders were accused of profiteering by ignoring building codes and regulations in order to maximise their profit margins and when rescuers combed through the ruins, they found cement debris “filled with so much sand it crumbled in their fingers”, and steel rods far thinner than what was required by law. The local governor argued that the magnitude of the quake was such that even up-to-code buildings would have fallen, but the fact was that buildings adjacent to the sub-par ones remained standing.

Building contractors were denounced from mosque pulpits, pilloried in the media and threatened with criminal prosecution by the government, all of which led to a rev­a­­mping of building codes across Turkiye. On paper, all was well but in reality, the situation was very different. When asked what role shoddy construction played in amp­lifying the damage and loss of life in the 2023 quake, Turkish journalist Ragip Soylu said that the “vast majority” of buildings were not within “set standards” for safe construction.

Bad construction had a role in the devastation.

A scene similar to what happened in Yal­­ova in 1999 unfolded in the city of Hatay aft­er the current earthquake, where the lu­x­u­ry Renaissance Residence, billed as “a co­r­ner in paradise”, completely colla­psed while nearby buildings remained sta­nding. The contractor was later arrested from Ista­n­­bul airport while trying to flee to Montenegro.

One reason for this are the successive amnesties extended to buildings that were not built up-to-code, which essentially off­ered exemptions and clearance certificates in return for fines and payments. The revenue from these was considerable, and a new amnesty scheme was pending app­roval just a few days before the earthquake stuck. Turkiye has passed 19 such zoning amnesty laws since 1948 and the ruling AKP party has in the past rejected 58 motions by opposition politicians asking for independent oversight of building safety.

What role did amnesties play? Turkish engineer Pelin Giritliogu said that in the southern earthquake zone alone, there were over 75,000 buildings that had availed the construction amnesties. Once the rescue efforts wind down, investigations will reveal how many of these buildings actually survived, as compared with the few buildings that were built according to code. One example of such a building was found in the city of Kahraman­maras, where the sole building left erect was the Chamber of Civil Engi­neers, standing tall amid a devastated city.

Disturbingly, many new buildings that were ‘officially’ constructed as per code — the 2018 regulations stipulated the use of high-quality concrete reinforced with steel bars and strengthened by distributed columns and beams — also collapsed. Apartment bu­i­­ldings that were advertised as being “co­mpleted in compliance with the latest ear­thquake regulations”, crumbled to dust. Here the role of corrupt officials who app­roved such construction is being questioned.

As the shock fades, anger is growing in Turkiye, as are calls for action: over 170 lawyers from across Turkiye have now filed a joint criminal complaint against contractors who built the collapsed buildings and have demanded that they be placed on Turkiye’s equivalent of the Exit Control List. Along with this, they have also demanded that public officials be put on trial for allowing buildings to be constructed in violation of rules.

What has happened in Turkiye is a natural disaster almost certainly exacerbated by human greed and neglect. Here are lessons not just for Turkiye, but also for Pakistan, which is an earthquake-prone country as well. And we know very well what our own standards are like.

The writer is a journalist.
Twitter:@zarrarkhuhro

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2023