İYİ Party's Burhanettin Kocamaz: 'If we do not establish a fire fleet, there will be no trees left to breathe in their shade'

In his speech at the TBMM General Assembly, İYİ Party Mersin Deputy Burhanettin Kocamaz listed the precautions that should be taken against the increasing risk of forest fires in the summer months and defended the inquiry proposal he submitted to the Parliament. Kocamaz, who started his speech with the news of the fire coming from the Elbeyli Neighborhood in the Erdemli district of Mersin, emphasized that it was pleasing that the fire was brought under control, but the real issue was preventive measures.
 
 
'216 thousand hectares of forest burned in the last 5 years'
Kocamaz stated that Türkiye was not sufficiently prepared for forest fires and said, “In the last five years, 216,278 hectares of forest area were reduced to ashes. Every year, thousands of hectares of forest are lost because of the lack of timely intervention.”
 
'Billions are spent on leasing, but there is no fleet'
Stating that Türkiye still does not have its own sufficient fire extinguishing fleet, Kocamaz said, “In the last 3 years, 3.7 billion TL was paid for 75 aircraft leased from Russia alone. A permanent fleet could have been established with the same money.”
 
'Night vision helicopters are still missing'
Recalling that in previous years, intervention in fires was hampered due to the lack of night vision helicopters, Kocamaz said, “It is not clear whether night vision helicopters were rented this year. However, fires do not stop at night.”
 
'The General Directorate of Forestry has a great responsibility'
Kocamaz, drawing attention to the role of the General Directorate of Forestry in firefighting efforts, warned, “Institutional preparations are lacking. If we cannot establish a comprehensive and permanent fleet, we will lose both our forests and our future.”
 
 
 
Source: CUMHA - CUMHURS NEWS AGENCY