Türkiye'de temiz su ve kanalizasyon sistemleri 1880-1980

This thesis examines the historical development of clean water and sewage systems within the current borders of Türkiye from 1880 to 1980, emphasizing the critical role of these infrastructures in public health. Although access to clean water and sewage systems is essential to protect public health, these services are unevenly distributed, especially in developing countries with limited economic capacity. From a macro perspective, this study provides the progression of these sanitation systems and investigates socioeconomic disparities in access to these infrastructures at regional, urban, and intra-urban levels in Türkiye. This dissertation analyzes the clean water and sewage systems in Türkiye in two periods. The first period deals with the transition of these systems from the Ottoman Empire to the early Republican era, covering the late nineteenth century until 1950. During this time, infrastructure investments shifted from an urban focus to a national scale, facilitated by legal regulations. The second period, from 1950 to 1980, focused on investments aimed at addressing regional, urban, and intra-urban inequalities in access to water and sewage infrastructure within the framework of national development policies. The findings indicate a hierarchical prioritization of investments, with clean water infrastructure taking precedence over sewage infrastructure. Additionally, the study reveals that the multivocality of institutions and state capacity influenced infrastructure investments. Regional, urban, and rural disparities in access to these sanitation infrastructures were observed, with western regions—affected by urbanization and industrialization—having relatively greater access than other areas. These findings enhance our understanding of the roots of infrastructure access inequalities and offer valuable insights into their long-term implications.