The Tunca River, which runs through Edirne, overflowed its banks over the weekend following heavy rain in the Marmara region, leading to widespread flooding.
Officials from Bulgaria warned the Edirne Governor’s Office that they would release water from a dam on their side of the border following the heavy rainfall, a move that will lead to even more flooding because the waters of the Meriç and Tunca are not receding.
The Meriç River’s water flow exceeded 1.250.000 cubic meters per minute on Monday night, regarded as the breaking point for the river. Many roads and workplaces were closed to traffic near the Meriç and Tunca. The Edirne-Karaağaç road was closed to traffic as a result of the rising water levels in the streets. According to reports, rescue teams pulled a number of residents of Edirne’s Karaağaç neighborhood from the floodwaters. The Bulgarian-Turkish border has been closed since flooding hit the area after intense rainfall in the region on Monday.
 Torrential rains caused rivers in Edirne province to overflow. Authorities used military vehicles to evacuate locals. |
Agah Korkan, the Karaağaç neighborhood muhtar, said it is not possible to walk or drive on the streets. “We are in the middle of a natural disaster. The government should put together an agreement between officials to establish a reservoir to store water as this is urgently needed by the city. I warned locals by going from door to door. My only hope is that no houses have been inundated with water,” Korkan said.
Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu on Tuesday said there is no great danger in Edirne. Emphasizing that only Edirne’s Değirmenyeni village was swamped with water, Eroğlu noted that approximately 10 houses have been affected by the floodwaters. “No casualties have been reported as a result of the rivers in Edirne overflowing. This at least is good news,” said Eroğlu, underlining that there is nothing to fear in Edirne. Edirne Governor Mustafa Büyük and Chief of Police Mehmet Yazıcı continue to survey damaged areas.
A crisis management center has been established at Edirne’s İpsala border gate to take necessary measures against flooding.
