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Türkiye's government has initiated a comprehensive bunker infrastructure project across all 81 provinces, responding to ongoing wars and tensions in the Middle East that have exposed gaps in the country's civilian protection capabilities.
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change has launched the nationwide study following discussions in cabinet meetings chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to information obtained by NTV.
Government assessments revealed that Türkiye currently lacks adequate bunker infrastructure, with existing facilities failing to meet necessary requirements for protecting civilians during potential war and disaster situations.
The comprehensive study examined global examples, with particular attention paid to bunker systems in Israel, Japan and Switzerland.
Following cabinet deliberations, officials decided that TOKI, Türkiye's mass housing administration, would construct bunkers across all 81 provinces.
Construction work has already begun in several cities, with Ankara designated as a priority location.
New bunkers designed for rapid access during emergencies and planned facilities will serve as durable structures that can be quickly accessed during disasters and crises, aimed at enhancing citizen safety across all regions of Türkiye.
Officials emphasized the bunkers would be built to withstand various emergency scenarios while remaining easily accessible to local populations.
Türkiye's bunker requirements are not an entirely new policy.
The Shelter Regulation, which took effect in 1987, mandates bunker construction in buildings of certain sizes.
However, enforcement has been largely neglected in practice, with many apartment projects converting designated bunker areas into parking spaces or storage facilities instead of maintaining them for their intended emergency use.
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