ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — The Turkish government has decided to build modern shelters in every province to protect civilians in the event of a potential war or disaster, local media reported on Tuesday.
According to Turkish broadcaster NTV, construction work has begun in several cities, primarily the capital Ankara. The shelters will be durable structures that can be quickly accessed during emergencies.
The cabinet approved the plan to build modern shelters across all 81 provinces, following a study by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. The study highlighted the country’s lack of adequate shelter infrastructure and noted that existing shelters fail to meet necessary standards.
Türkiye’s current Shelter Regulation, effective since 1987, mandates the construction of shelters in buildings of a certain size. However, this requirement has largely been ignored in practice. In many apartment projects, sheltered areas are used as either parking lots or storage facilities.
