Seslidere Project nears completion to resolve Çayeli water shortage

The Seslidere Drinking Water Project, an 800 million TL investment, is nearing completion to address a water scarcity issue in the Çayeli district of Rize that has persisted for approximately 50 years. Currently 85% complete, the project is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2027.

Çayeli Mayor İsmail Hakkı Çiftçi stated that the infrastructure includes a new high-capacity water tank in the Yenipazar neighborhood to replace an older facility. The system will utilize water intake structures located where two valleys meet, transporting water through 400mm pipes to a treatment plant before distributing it to the city center via a transmission line.

Mayor Çiftçi noted that while such underground infrastructure investments are often less visible to the public, they are essential for long-term stability. He mentioned that the permitting process took approximately five years, and construction has been ongoing for three years.