Zap riverbank becomes park in southeastern Türkiye

HAKKARI

AA Photo

Local authorities are transforming a 40,000-square-meter site beside the Zap River in Türkiye’s southeastern province of Hakkari into a recreation area to provide more outdoor space for the city’s around 60,000 residents.

Hakkari Municipality launched the Depin Recreation Area Project on unused land between the river and the Hakkari-Çukurca highway. Work began two months ago, with a contractor building a 1,750-meter concrete wall along the river and filling the site.

Plans include walking and cycling paths, an adventure playground, camping, picnic and rest areas and parking. Planners dedicated 20,000 square meters of the site to green spaces, with landscaping, infrastructure, tree planting and lighting also planned.

Hakkari Governor and Acting Mayor İbrahim Taşyapan told Anadolu Agency they hoped to finish before winter.

“People will be able to spend quality time there with their families,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Hamit Zibek said the city lacked such facilities and the project would change its entrance. Camping would cater to travelers passing through, he said.

A 400-meter section lies in an area with avalanche tunnels, where snow and avalanches occur from December to March. Zibek said installations there were portable so they could be removed when snow falls. Ground materials were chosen to withstand snow and avalanches.

“We built a wall and wire fence along the Zap River and installed a concrete barrier system on the highway edge,” he said. Safety was the priority, he said.

The project combines riverside recreation with winter precautions in a region where snow and avalanches occur from December to March.