Antalya Ornamental Plants is a leading sectoral organization that exports its soilless crops to approximately forty countries and provides employment for over 150 people. The flooding of Antalya Ornamental Plants' production area in Antalya at the end of January, caused by the Aksu River, resulting in flooding reaching two meters, serves as a prime example of the problems facing the sector.

The disaster caused by the flooding due to the rain is still ongoing. However, the administration started work to prevent the Aksu River flood in 2011. But the embankment construction, intended to prevent the flood, could not pass the 500-acre production area of Antalya Ornamental Plants by 2026 and was inexplicably halted there.
In 2022, a company applied to all relevant institutions to take precautions against flood risk, but despite requesting the completion of embankment construction, the process was unsuccessful. The flood in 2023 caused significant financial losses for the company. Consequently, the company filed a lawsuit against the State Water Works, which it identified as the responsible institution, seeking compensation for the damages. However, during the court proceedings, the lawsuit was dismissed on the grounds that the expert report was based on rainfall data from another district and that the administration's responsibility was eliminated despite the absence of a declared disaster.

The company argued that the administration had initiated a flood prevention project years ago based on its own assessments of flood risk, but that this work had been left incomplete. To support this claim, an expert opinion prepared by faculty members from the Department of Climate Science and Meteorology Engineering at Istanbul Technical University was submitted to the court.
The company appealed to the Regional Administrative Court under Article 45 of the Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577, arguing that the decision was flawed and unlawful in terms of its evidentiary assessment. The appeal emphasized that the administration's obligation to compensate for damages arising from its own actions and procedures is a constitutional principle. The case will now be examined by the Regional Administrative Court, and it remains to be seen how the technical report prepared by climate and disaster experts will be evaluated. It is stated that the decision could set a precedent regarding the administration's responsibility and the compensation of public losses.

Antalya Ornamental Plants have suffered severe damage for the second time in three years. What can we say… The administration's legal system disregards the producers, leading to decisions favoring the public and the administration. Landscape and ornamental plant producers are among the most vulnerable sectors to natural disasters. For example, TARSİM (Agricultural Insurance) does not cover products grown or presented in open fields. The situation we have reached is truly heartbreaking.