Trabzon’s Araklı district has been plagued by a road that caused great fear, annoying the local people. After an incident that occurred 8 months ago, the residents of Yeşilce Neighborhood are living in anxiety. The neighborhood headman Gökhan Özyurt said, “Neighbors have moved to another village due to fear. I can’t give an answer to the citizens. They call me, saying ‘It will be done, it will be taken care of,’ and 8 months have passed. We have neighbors who are engaged in animal husbandry, have children. They have literally left our village.”
The road that collapsed following a landslide last September in Yeşilce Neighborhood of the district has cut off access to the neighborhood and the district center. With the road passing through steep slopes being closed to traffic, the residents of the neighborhood started using alternative dirt roads passing through the surrounding forests. In a neighborhood with approximately 1100 inhabitants, farmers have difficulty reaching their tea and hazelnut gardens. The residents and students of the neighborhood are concerned about the risk of attacks by wild animals such as boars, bears, foxes, jackals, wolves, and stray dogs in the forest. The closure of the road restricts the residents’ access to health services, forcing the elderly and patients who want to reach the hospital to use longer and more challenging routes. The neighborhood residents demand the repair of the road for both their lives to return to normal and the safety of their children.
‘OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE MOVED TO ANOTHER VILLAGE’ Yeşilce Neighborhood Headman Gökhan Özyurt expressed that especially students and patients are struggling, saying, “We experienced a landslide disaster 8 months ago. I brought AFAD officials to this area at least 5 times. I showed this place to the friends who came from the municipalities, but none of them said anything about when it could be done. I can’t give an answer to the citizens. They call me, saying ‘It will be done, it will be taken care of,’ and 8 months have passed. We have neighbors who are engaged in animal husbandry, have children. They have literally left our village. Neighbors moved to another village due to fear of wild animals. Children are unable to use this road to go to school. We closed the middle of the road with stones to eliminate the danger. This was the shortest way to the hospital. Our patients suffered, our mothers are elderly. Our children go to school. There are wild animals. Dogs bite the children. We do not know when this place will be done.”