Istanbul Bar Association conducted an investigation into the Sazlıdere Dam: Sazlıdere cannot be sacrificed for profit.

The Sazlıdere Dam basin, one of Istanbul's most important drinking water sources, is under serious threat from the TOKİ housing projects launched as part of the Kanal Istanbul project. Members of the Istanbul Bar Association Board of Directors marched from the dam basin's edge and then held a press conference at the construction sites. The Bar Association's message was, "We are here to defend water, land, and the future."

THE MARCH ENDED AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE AFTER SAZLIDERE

As evening approached, the Istanbul Bar Association board members gathered near the dam and first took a short walk along the banks of the Sazlıdere River. The lawyers passed through areas where pastures had been transferred to TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey) and inspected the construction sites rising along the dam's banks. Following their observations, accompanied by the roar of construction machinery, the delegation delivered their statements from a vantage point overlooking the site.

750,000 people's water is at risk

The danger the Bar Association is pointing to is grave. As part of the Kanal Istanbul project, which gained momentum after the March 19 coup attempt, the Sazlıdere Dam basin, which meets the water needs of approximately 750,000 people, is being opened to profiteering. TOKİ's 250,000-housing project threatens not only nature but also life in the region.

The construction site was viewed like this

Istanbul Bar Association conducted an investigation at Sazlıdere Dam: Sazlıdere cannot be sacrificed for profit https://t.co/mvabaU8JG9 pic.twitter.com/REC0LCDhba

— BirGün Newspaper (@BirGun_Gazetesi) September 3, 2025

"WE ARE HERE TO DEFEND BOTH WATER AND THE LAW"

Reading the press release, Gülay Çolak Çalışkan, President of the Istanbul Bar Association Environmental, Urban and Zoning Law Commission, emphasized that the decision to hold the opening of the judicial year in Sazlıdere this year was no coincidence:

"We are here today not only to defend a water basin, but also to defend the rule of law. At a time when democracy and the rule of law are severely damaged and environmental atrocities are increasing daily, we chose to open our judicial year with the theme of environmental justice."

Çalışkan stated that the damage, which started in a limited area during their exploration of the region three months ago, quickly expanded, and said:

We observed a small amount of destruction that day. Today, we see that a much larger portion of the dam basin has been illegally occupied. We see that large areas are being concreted over as quickly as possible without the legally required infrastructure. It's being declared that at least 10,000 residences will be built here. On the other shore of the dam, 2.5 million square meters of land, marketed as "lake view," has been opened for development. The commencement of construction tenders while objections are ongoing demonstrates the extent of the lawlessness.

Çalışkan also reminded that Türkiye has become one of the water-poor countries, saying, "While every drop of water must be protected, the Ministry is destroying Istanbul's lifeblood, contrary to its own strategy."

"THE PEOPLE ARE NOW DEFENDING NATURE AGAINST THE PUBLIC"

Bar association members stated that in recent years, local governments have been bypassed through reserve land practices, ignoring citizens' property rights. Çalışkan said, "Citizens are now forced to defend their air, water, and land against the public. As legal professionals, we will stand with the people in this fight."

"THE REPUBLIC OF Türkiye IS ALSO AN PERIPHERAL STATE"

In his speech, Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu addressed environmental rights based on the Constitution and international agreements. Kaboğlu stated that Türkiye is not only a state governed by the rule of law and social welfare, but also an environmental state, emphasizing the following:

The unchangeable articles of our constitution guarantee the state's obligation to protect the environment. Türkiye's ecological constitutional order is also supported internationally by the Montreux, Barcelona, ​​and Bucharest Conventions. No other region in the world has an example where these three conventions converge on the same territory. This gives Sazlıdere special significance.

Kaboğlu stated that any intervention in the region would violate the right to life of not only the current but also future generations, and continued:

Every tree cut down here, every drop of water dried, is a crime against Türkiye's ecological order. This region is a place where history, culture, and the natural values ​​of its geography meet. Therefore, any wrong step taken here would constitute a violation of the right to environment, guaranteed by the Constitution. The fundamental principle of environmental law, 'irreversibility,' must be applied here with the utmost force.

Kaboğlu also recalled the international environmental agreements Türkiye has signed, saying, “The Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations Climate Convention… While they all pledge to protect the environment, the destruction of this basin by the same state is a clear contradiction.”

"SAZLIDERE IS NOT ONLY ISTANBUL'S WATER"

The statements concluded with the words, "Sazlıdere is not just Istanbul's water, it is Türkiye's future. We lawyers will continue to fight for nature, for life, and for justice."