Hatay completes 90% of its reconstruction

Hatay says it is nearing the end of a reconstruction drive launched after the Feb. 6 earthquakes, which caused the heaviest destruction in the province. Governor Mustafa Masatlı said the work across the city has reached about 90% and promised that “We will finish almost everything this December. We will reach 100% in December.”

The province has completed 196,000 independent units. About 69,000 are being built as social housing, while 53,755 units have been constructed for eligible beneficiaries. Masatlı said the earthquakes affected about 80% of Antakya, 70% of Defne, 50% of İskenderun and Kırıkhan, and 40% of Hassa. The total debris removed has reached 41.3 million tonnes.

The next phase is expected to focus heavily on Hatay’s economic links with Syria. Masatlı said trade, industry and logistics would lead the province’s economic renewal. Officials are working on a free industrial zone intended to increase economic integration across the border. A roughly 150-hectare free zone near the border is under consideration on the Syrian side, while possible sites around Kumlu, Zeytindalı and Cilvegözü are being assessed in Türkiye.

Border trade has already accelerated, according to Masatlı. Daily truck traffic through the Cilvegözü crossing has risen from about 450 before the war to 1,500. Cilvegözü connects Hatay’s trade with the Idlib and Aleppo corridor, while Zeytindalı serves the Afrin area. The Yayladağı crossing is also being prepared for commercial traffic.

Hatay plans to expand its industrial base beyond pre-earthquake levels. The province has nine organized industrial zones, including the 1,347-hectare Hassa zone, which Masatlı said would rank among Türkiye’s three largest. Of 310 schools destroyed in the disaster, 251 have been completed and 42 remain under construction. The number of classrooms is expected to rise from about 14,700 to more than 18,000. Nine hospitals have also been completed after five were destroyed. In Samandağ, officials have established a surfing center and are converting an old provincial camp into a diving village.

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We will finish almost everything this December. We will reach 100% in December.