Landslide risks in Turkey’s Eastern Black Sea region

The Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey, particularly within the Artvin province, is experiencing heightened risks of landslides and rockfalls driven by extreme rainfall and steep topography. In the Hopa district, heavy annual precipitation saturates the soil, leading to incidents such as a recent landslide that caused one fatality and damaged several heavy vehicles in a transit zone.

These geological hazards increasingly threaten the Black Sea Coastal Road, a critical 30-kilometer stretch between Arhavi and Sarp that serves as an international transport corridor toward the Georgian border. Experts have noted a pattern of serious incidents along this route, including a major landslide in the Kıyıcık area of Arhavi that killed four people.

Researchers from Karadeniz Technical University have emphasized that the region’s geomorphological structure and consecutive heavy rains exacerbate the danger. While safety measures like steel cages have been discussed, experts warn that human-made interventions may be insufficient to stop massive rock blocks exceeding 500 tons.