Istanbul Municipality gets to work to stop next Bosphorus 'tsunami'

ISTANBUL

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has started work to prevent a repeat of "tsunami scenes" filmed on the city's Asian side this summer.

Heavy rain had hit Istanbul on June 2, causing local flooding and creating chaos in the city, particularly in the Asian side neighborhood of Üsküdar.

After incredible images went viral, such as the one showing a minibus "cruising" alongside a Bosphorus ferry, Üsküdar Municipality claimed on June 3 that the cause of the flooding was "a small tsunami."

More than four months after the incidents, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality announced on Oct. 18 that work for stream remediation started.

Çavuşderesi and Bülbülderesi, two small creeks in the Üsküdar district, will be the focus of the efforts. Infrastructure in the area will be improved over the next 130 days in three phases, with new water discharge units and waste water collectors added.