Turkey getting ready for influx of migrants from Syria

Authorities said a wave of migration from Syria into Turkey has already started, and they expect about 50,000 people will arrive in total. In the Syrian province of Idlib, near the Turkish border, government forces reportedly continue to pound civilians. Turkish citizens who live in border villages say they can hear the bombs from across the border. Media outlets report that thousands of Syrians have been hiding near the Turkey-Syria border, which they are attempting to cross. In the last month, a total of 3,400 Syrians took shelter in Turkey, while 740 people entered Turkey on Tuesday night.

Accommodations are being established in Turkey's southern provinces of Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa. Currently, there are seven tent cities, in Hatay's Yayladağı, Reyhanlı and Altınözü districts. Hatay authorities said roughly 13,500 Syrians are taking shelter in these tent cities, and more such accommodation centers are needed to host more people. In a Reyhanlı tent city, an area for 100 more tents is being prepared. Although the capacity of the tent cities in Hatay is 25,000, more tents are needed because only Syrian soldiers who have deserted are being accepted in a separate tent city, Apaydın. Hatay authorities added the neighboring provinces will also share the responsibility of housing those who arrive from Syria.

A commission was formed by the Gaziantep Governor's Office to deal with the issue. Preparations are underway to establish a tent city in İslahiye district with the capacity to house 10,000 people. Gaziantep Governor Erdal Ata said the work to establish infrastructure and install electricity systems will be concluded in a week. “We plan to set up 2,000 tents. The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) will deliver blankets and tents,” he said.

İslahiye was chosen as the location for the tent city because a railway between Turkey and Syria passes through the district. Compared to last year, more passengers are using the train services from Syria to arrive in İslahiye. According to data from Gaziantep railway officials, 7,825 passengers arrived in İslahiye from Syria in 2010, while this figure increased to 9,498 last year.  Şanıurfa’s Ceylanpınar district is another location that will host Syrians. A 20,000-person-capacity accommodation center is being established on land owned by the Turkish General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM). A team formed by the Şanlıurfa Governor’s Office has already begun working on the center’s infrastructure. Of the Turkish provinces, Şanlıurfa shares the longest border line with Syria. The Ceylanpınar border gate is currently closed, but it will be opened if needed.  In Kilis, near the Öncüpınar border gate, another accommodation center is about to be completed. Kilis Governor Yusuf Odabaş said city officials have long been working on the center, on an area of 315,000 square meters. More than 2,000 containers have been sent by the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD). The containers, in which a family of five can live, are 21 square meters and they can endure temperatures of -50 Celsius degrees. The center will host roughly 10,000 people. “The Turkish government is providing the necessary support,” Odabaş said.