The General Assembly of the Turkish Parliament will begin the new week on Tuesday, returning from a recess on the occasion of Qurban Bayram, or Eid al-Adha. The main item on the assembly’s agenda will be a new law on land use, aiming to improve agriculture and forestry.
Under the new bill, special administrations controlled by provincial governorates, municipalities and other public institutions will be responsible for safety measures to prevent accidents and losses that may arise from water structures and will be mandated to report to the government’s State Hydraulic Works (DSI) about any problems. If a hydroelectric power generation facility fails to comply with the operating instructions and program determined by DSİ or fails to remedy identified deficiencies, the company will be subject to an administrative fine ranging from TL 50,000 to TL 100,000 ($1,090 to $2,020) per megawatt of the facility’s installed hydraulic capacity. The total penalty amount may not be less than TL 250,000 and may not exceed TL 5 million.
The General Directorate of Forestry will establish carbon sink forests to contribute to combating global climate change and to increase the greenhouse gas absorption capacity of forests.
