Turkish building code lack of enforcement
2023-02-09 20:06:21.998657+01 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
Turkey earthquake: Why did so many buildings collapse?
In Turkey, however, the government has provided periodic "construction amnesties" - effectively legal exemptions for the payment of a fee, for structures built without the required safety certificates. These have been passed since the 1960s (with the latest in 2018).
Critics have long warned that such amnesties risk catastrophe in the event of a major earthquake.
Up to 75,000 buildings across the affected earthquake zone in southern Turkey have been given construction amnesties, according to Pelin Pınar Giritlioğlu, Istanbul head of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects' Chamber of City Planners.
Just a few days before the latest disaster, Turkish media reported that a new draft law is awaiting parliamentary approval which would grant a further amnesty for recent construction work.</blockquyote>