Istanbul Earthquake Safety Costs 3 Million Lira: Families Sell Everything to Stay Alive

Istanbul Earthquake Safety Costs 3 Million Lira: Families Sell Everything to Stay Alive

Sevim İleri and her family are selling everything they own to afford 3 million lira for demolition and reconstruction after their building in Istanbul’s Avcılar district was declared unsafe [192628]. Across Turkey, the financial burden of earthquake preparedness is crushing residents, while workers have lost over 1 trillion lira to inflation and taxes in just six months [191023].

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In Istanbul’s high-risk Avcılar district, residents like Sevim İleri face an impossible choice. After their building entered a risky structure process, the family was forced to pay for demolition and reconstruction. “Everyone is trying to sell what they have to come up with 3 million lira,” İleri said [192628]. Even if they manage that amount, moving costs, rising rent, and children’s school fees will continue to pile up. “Our lives have completely changed,” she added [192628].

The financial strain on Turkish households is deepening. A new report from DISK-AR, the research arm of Turkey’s largest labor union confederation DISK, reveals that inflation and taxes cost Turkish workers at least 1.167 trillion lira in lost wages during the first half of this year [191023]. The union presented the “Wage Loss Monitoring Report” in a protest outside a tax office, highlighting the growing financial burden on employees as rising prices and tax policies erode their incomes [191023].

Meanwhile, Turkey’s student housing crisis adds another layer of pressure. The country has more than 6 million university students, but state dormitories can only offer about 1 million beds [190997]. Many students cannot get a dormitory room, while others are placed in dorms far from their schools. These students now struggle with rising rents and high transportation costs, trying to continue their education under difficult conditions [190997].

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Sources

Istanbul Residents Struggle to Afford Earthquake Safety Renovations #192628Turkey's Student Housing Crisis: 6 Million Students, Only 1 Million Beds #190997Turkish Workers Lost Over 1 Trillion Lira to Inflation and Taxes in Six Months #191023

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