Istanbul Governor Gül carried out inspections in Ayazağa, which was affected by flooding and water inundation. Davut Gül made a statement in the Ayazağa neighborhood of Sarıyer. Noting that, in line with the decisions taken at yesterday’s Disaster Coordination Meeting, the occupations on the stream bed would be removed, Gül announced that the demolition of a Quran course, a sports facility, and shops in the area began today. He reported that Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum had given instructions to ensure that citizens are not victimized and that the course is built elsewhere.
Gül said that a search is underway for 3 people who went missing in the flood — two of them Turkish and one a citizen of Turkmenistan — and reported that the search efforts are continuing under the coordination of AFAD. Coast Guard and gendarmerie teams are working. Police and İBB teams are also joining the search. He reported that 10 thousand lira each had been deposited into the accounts of more than 5 thousand people from the Ministry of Family and Social Services’ allowance. He said the damage assessments would be completed by tomorrow noon at the latest and that the payments would be made on Monday.
Gül noted that they do not expect heavy rainfall today or tomorrow. However, the risk of landslides persists. Gül also stated that, against the risk of landslides, citizens could be hosted through 112 and the district governorates. He added that no problems had been found in the water samples and that some areas could not yet be supplied with electricity.
Why it matters
The decision to remove the encroachments in the stream bed shows that the measures taken after the flood extend from temporary aid to structural intervention, and it raises the question of whether this will set a precedent for other stream beds carrying similar risks. Because the demolition also covers shops, it has not yet become clear how the shopkeepers’ losses will be compensated or where the course will be relocated, despite the instruction that they not be left aggrieved. The 10 thousand lira each deposited for more than five thousand people and the payment schedule set for Monday directly concern the short-term cash needs of thousands of households. The continuation of search efforts for three people, the fact that electricity still cannot be supplied in some areas, and the persistence of the landslide risk demonstrate that the crisis has not been overcome, even if no rainfall is expected. The fact that the water samples came back clean, meanwhile, weakens for now the possibility of a potential public health problem following the flood.
Background
Istanbul is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 13 news stories featuring this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated October 17, 2026.