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ISTANBUL, Dec. 17-- Discussions about the construction of an artificial waterway, which would divide Turkey's most populous city Istanbul, have lately polarized the Turkish society over its environmental and financial impacts. Canal Istanbul was first brought out by then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2011 as a "crazy project" with a view to easing the heavy traffic of the 30-km-long Bosphorus Strait, one of the world's busiest waterways that divides the Asian and European parts of Istanbul. Later, the plan was put on hold due to a heavy agenda of the country filled with political tensions, both inside and outside of national borders, a high cost of living and a rising unemployment rate. When President Erdogan last week announced in a televised interview that his government would initiate the project as soon as possible with a tender, it became a hot-button issue in the country. According to the plan, the canal will be approximately 45-km long on the European side of the city, starting from the Black Sea and ending off the Marmara Sea. It will cover an area of 26,000 hectares, with seven highway bridges, two railway and two metro crossings planned over the waterway. Ekrem Imamoglu, mayor of Istanbul, described the project as an "erroneous and unnecessary" imposition on the people of the metropolis. Most of the environmentalists are also opposing the project on the grounds that it could trigger a strong tremor, as it would destroy the natural tissue of the city. | 
