Gold Drill Threatens Nature in Turkey's Ida Mountain

Ramazan Çakır - a local administrator (mukhtar) from Karaköy village located in the northwestern part of Turkey - filed an official compliant claiming that a gold drill in the Ida mountain region polluted neighboring river and killed water frogs. The Ida mountain region is located only 30 kilometers southeast from the ruins of Troy. 

"Some farmers observed that the water was running with mud as they were watering their apple fields. They called me. I went by the river along with gendarmeries. There was an explosion in gold drill pipes. We observed that chemical waste was flowing to the river. Some province administration officials took samples from the river, but we don't trust them," Çakır told bianet. 

He said villagers took samples and submitted official complaints to a local prosecutor. "However," Çakır continued, "Prosecutor only took our pictures and not the water sample. He said he would take his own samples but nobody showed ever since. And the pollution already disappeared."

Reminding that the river basin provided water for 25 surrounding villages in the region, Çakır said villagers have opposed gold drills ever since they first started.  

"Even before the companies started to search for gold, the drills left no fish or frogs in the river. They only aim to take out all the gold in 10 years and leave our nature poisoned."

Drills in 34 locations

There are currently 16 foreign and national firms that drill for gold in 34 locations using 400.000 tons of cyanide. The permitted drill areas are located in Bayramiç, Çan, Lapseki, Biga, Ezine, Ayvacık and Yenice districts. 

The region provides potable water for over 2 million people. A possible pollution might affect 750.000 agriculture workers and hundred of rare species. There are also over 10 million trees in the region. 

Since 2007, locals have been campaigning against the gold drills in the area, saying that they would cause leave permanent damages in the environment and increase cancer diagnoses in the near future. (NV/BM)