Eastern Black Sea region faces rising landslide risks

Experts are warning of increasing landslide risks in Turkey’s Eastern Black Sea region, driven by extreme rainfall and steep topographical features. In the Hopa district of Artvin, annual precipitation can reach up to 2,000 millimeters, which saturates the soil and destabilizes slopes.

A recent landslide and rockfall in Hopa resulted in one fatality and damaged approximately seven to eight trucks parked in areas used by vehicles waiting for international transit. This incident has highlighted the need for enhanced safety measures, such as the installation of steel cages and barriers, to protect these transit zones from falling debris.

Professor Ömer Kara, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at Karadeniz Technical University, noted that meteorological events are the primary cause of these landslides. He explained that consecutive heavy rains cause soil saturation, while the region's geomorphological structure—specifically steep slopes and varying soil permeability—further exacerbates the danger of soil movement.