Lake and swamp drying activities as a health, agriculture and settlement policy during the republi period (1923-1950)

In this thesis, the lakes and swamps dried for various reasons in the Republican Period (1923-1950) are discussed. Swamp and lake drying activities were also carried out during the Ottoman Empire. However, these activities were not carried out in a systematic and programmed manner. In the Republican Period, lake and swamps drying activities became a state and government policy. In this study, lake and swamps drying activities between 1923-1950 are discussed. Our thesis consists of three parts. In the first part of the first chapter, information about malaria disease published in the books, pamphlets and press of the last period of the Ottoman Empire and the Republican Period is discussed. In this part, how the intellectuals before and after the Republic defined malaria, its causes, information about the mosquitoes that transmit malaria and ways of protection from this disease are discussed. The examination, treatment, blood tests, medicines distributed and spraying activities carried out by the Malaria Control Committees established within the scope of the malaria struggle between 1923 and 1950 are discussed. In the second part of the first part, information is given about the lakes and swamps drained between 1923 and 1950 in order to ensure the health of the population, in other words, within the framework of the health policy of the Republican Period. In the second part of our study, the lakes and swamps that were drained in order to obtain agricultural land in the Republican Period were analysed. In this section, information on the amount of land created as a result of the drying activity and to whom it was distributed is given. In addition, information on the canals built to drain the water of the lakes and swamps drained in order to obtain more yield from the soil and the lands that were watered by means of these canals are also discussed in this section. In the third and final part of our thesis, the discussions on the activities of settling muhajir in swampy areas in the Republican Era and the swamps drained for the settlement of the immigrants who came to our country as a result of the population exchange are analysed. This chapter also deals with the issue of the resettlement of some villages and towns in the vicinity of the swamps that could not be drained for various reasons. Keywords: Swamp Drying, Health Policy, Agricultural Policy, Settlement Policy, Malaria.