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Municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) are plagued by problems threatening public health, while the party’s leader insists all is well.
Mountains of uncollected garbage on the streets and days of water shortages are among a few of the growing issues, while several mayors are facing accusations of taking bribes.
Sabah newspaper compiled a report on the shortcomings of municipalities and the complaints of residents of CHP-run cities.
CHP leader Özgür Özel said last week that he was proud of the services provided by CHP-run municipalities, in a speech in the northern province of Bolu, run by a mayor who drew ire for his far-right practices. In that speech, Özel also claimed that the municipalities were unfairly targeted, referring to a spate of investigations into corruption in said municipalities.
Although mayors can be acquitted of corruption at the end of the day, the state of cities run by the main opposition shows their problems may not go away soon. From Izmir in the west to the capital Ankara, public services have taken a blow in recent months at municipalities, something blamed on mismanagement by critics of the party.
In Izmir, Türkiye’s third-largest city and a stronghold of the CHP, negligence on the improvement of infrastructure and piles of garbage uncollected on streets due to strikes by underpaid workers have added to the woes of residents already complaining of stench from the polluted sea. Most recently, Izmir was hit by lengthy water shortages amid soaring temperatures in August, blamed on mismanagement of the water authority coupled with declining water levels in dams. Locals quoted by Sabah newspaper also complained of the heavy stench from sewage and floods after almost every precipitation, putting the blame on the municipality’s insufficient infrastructure investments.
The capital Ankara made headlines last month when burst water pipes led to a mass water shortage, especially in the Mamak district. Water supplies were only fully restored this week, while sights of locals lining up around water trucks added to the dismal record of CHP Mayor Mansur Yavaş. Yavaş is already embattled with legal woes due to alleged excessive spending of municipal funds on concerts instead of improving infrastructure.
Water shortages also hit Edirne in the past two days, while Mayor Filiz Gencan acknowledged that water pipes in the northwestern city are old and occasionally suffer from bursting and subsequent water shortages.
Bursa, Türkiye’s fourth largest city, faces future water shortages, while critics of the municipality say the problem can be solved by a water treatment facility, yet to be constructed by the municipality.
In Adana, the lack of maintenance on several roads has forced citizens to cover them with carpets to counter uneven surfaces, while the Bilecik mayor from CHP found a solution to curb the repulsive stench from sewage by covering manholes with nylon coverings.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday hit out at the CHP’s lack of public services at municipalities. Addressing his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Erdoğan said the CHP should apologize for the municipalities’ failure.
“(Özgür Özel) recently invited headmasters of schools to apply to their municipalities for free water services. Elsewhere, you see people in the capital suffering from water shortages. The CHP is not ashamed, though,” Erdoğan said at the event in Ankara.
“You should collect garbage and supply water to the people first. You should get rid of the mountains of garbage. You should get rid of the corruption stain,” the president said.
More than a dozen mayors from the CHP and hundreds of municipal officials have been arrested in recent months for alleged corruption, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.
“You should have an ounce of conscience. They squandered resources in the past five years without building on the legacy of services in the past 25 years,” he said, referring to municipalities run by the AK Party for more than two decades, including Istanbul.
“Our cities went back to the old days. People are suffering in traffic jams. Instead of an apology, (the CHP) smears us. You have to respect the people who have to wait (for hours) with water cans in hand. You have no respect for people trying to cross through mountains of garbage while commuting,” Erdoğan said.
“You know to show up with a gasoline can, but you have no problem with empty cans of water,” Erdoğan said in remarks directed at Özel, referring to the opposition leader’s past protests about gasoline prices.
