By Hajira Khota
17:08:2021

Emergency personnel fought floods in Turkey’s Black Sea region, the country’s second natural disaster this month. Torrential rains battered the country’s northern Black Sea provinces, triggering flooding that destroyed homes, tore bridges apart, washed automobiles away, and made several highways inaccessible.

The floods and flames occurred in the same week that a UN panel warned that global warming is perilously close to spiralling out of control, killing and destroying tens of thousands of hectares of forest. Bridges collapsed under the pressure of the pouring torrents, and roadways buckled from mudslides, according to images shared on social media.

A scorching heatwave has hit Turkey, and firefighters in the south were battling flames that swept over the country’s Mediterranean coast. Turkey has seen a slew of climate-related calamities in recent months. During the previous two weeks, raging wildfires burnt tens of thousands of hectares of forest along the country’s southern coast. As floodwaters surge through the streets, helicopters deployed coast guard officers onto building roofs to rescue those stuck.

The floods were among the worst Turkey has ever seen, wreaked havoc on northern districts just as officials announced that wildfires that had raged for two weeks along Turkey’s southern coast had been brought under control.

Turkey’s emergency and disaster authorities designated disaster zones in neighbourhoods impacted by the fire in five regions. During the dry summer months, wildfires are prevalent in Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean areas.

Wildfires have erupted across the Mediterranean due to a heatwave in Southern Europe, fuelled by hot air from Africa. Natural catastrophes, according to scientists, are growing increasingly powerful and frequent as a result of global warming caused by polluting gases.

Water constraints continue to jeopardize food production and Turkey’s ties with its neighbours, who are already battling water rights, notably along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Turkey’s tourism industry is a significant source of revenue. Business owners were anticipating a much better summer than last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic that led to travel restrictions, which caused the tourism sector to drop drastically.

Floods are a yearly occurrence in Turkey’s Black Sea area, where heavy rainfall is prevalent. The primary reasons for the high death toll each year are deforestation and homes constructed on dangerous riverbeds and valleys.

Radio Islam International spoke to Obaida Hitto, TRT World Correspondent. Listen to the podcast here.