Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı has announced comprehensive efforts to rehabilitate areas burnt by recent fires in Diyarbakır Çınar and Mardin Mazıdağı.
Following the outbreak of fires, Yumaklı's social media update underscored the ministry's response and assigned teams to district directorates to provide intervention and support under the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority's (AFAD) supervision.
In Diyarbakır's Çınar district, extensive agricultural damage has been identified, with 7,900 decares of land burned across the Köksalan, Bağacık, Yazçiçeği and Ağaçsever neighborhoods. Of this, 6,789 decares were planted with stubble and 1,111 with unharvested wheat. The fires also destroyed one tractor and 14 irrigation facilities. Some 924 small cattle perished, while 83 severely injured animals were humanely euthanized with support from the Meat and Dairy Institution.
In Mardin's Mazıdağı district, a total of 7,000 decares of agricultural land, primarily 4,000 decares of wheat fields and 3,000 decares of stubble fields, were affected by fires in the Yetkinler and Yücebağ neighborhoods, as well as Kelek Hamlet.
The General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks will lead rehabilitation efforts to restore biodiversity in the fire-affected areas. These initiatives aim to swiftly rejuvenate the natural habitats and enhance wildlife in collaboration with local communities.
"Some of our farmers' irrigation equipment was lost. No animal loss has been reported or detected by our teams in Mardin. Our provincial and district directorates will continue to support our farmers engaged in plant and animal production with all their personnel. Both rehabilitation works and wildlife improvement activities will be carried out in the area by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks to restore the biodiversity of the burned areas quickly and to provide the area with an even richer biodiversity. Our state will continue to heal the wounds in the region with all relevant institutions. I wish God's mercy to our citizens who lost their lives in the fire and a speedy recovery to our injured. I once again convey my condolences to our affected citizens,” Yumaklı said.
