Water and Conscience Watch on its 15th Day: 'There is Freedom Wherever You Are'

* Photographs: bianet. 

Click to read the article in Turkish

Today marks the 15th day of Water and Conscience Watch in İda Mountains. As of 10 p.m. yesterday (August 8), everyone completed their daily walk to the mining site of Alamos Gold and came back to the camping area.

Camping areas are divided among the villages here, they have me as a guest in the Village of Diren, which means "Resist" in Turkish. They provide me with portable electricity so that I can write my news.

In the darkness, someone from the neighboring camps shouts, "Ida Mountainsss". And the other camps answer: "Ida Mountainsss", which is now a routine exclamation of the watch.

The watch has got more crowded after the "Great Water and Conscience Meeting" on August 5. There are now around 200 tents and over 500 volunteers at the watch in Ida Mountains.

Tea Lobby and its biscuits

When I go inside, I am greeted by the Tea Lobby and Kadir. Kadir offers tea, water and biscuits provided by the volunteers to everyone.

Kadir says that he is from Çanakkale and adds, "A new group comes everyday and it makes us very happy. We offer what everyone brings to everyone. A new group with motorcycles will join us at the weekend. Our door is open to everyone who wants to come to Ida Mountains."

'There is Freedom Wherever You are'

The Summer School students of People's Houses were among the ones who came to the camping area to support the watch.

Coming to the watch with their colorful banners after school, the students first sing children's songs, then make kites.

Time to walk: It is just the beginning

While the children are making their kites, we hit the road with the group taking their daily walk to the mining site. All through the 30-minute walk, the group chant the slogans, "It is just the beginning, our struggle will continue" and "Gold company, leave the Mount Ida".

The ones keeping the "Water and Conscience Watch" in Ida Mountains walk to the mining site with slogans at 7 in the morning and at 7.30 in the evening. Attending yesterday's walk, Çanakkale Deputy Mayor and Agricultural Engineer İrfan Mutluay gave information about the functioning of the mine.

Önder Yılman from the walking group reminds us, "Friends, we have protested in a peaceful manner to this day. Our problem is not with our laborer friends there. Let's display the same attention today".

When we we reach the mining site of Alamos Gold company, we see that the area which was a forestland not long ago is now dug up. The workers standing behind the wire fence listen to the slogans in silence.

'Soil is stripped and dug up, destruction continues'

"It used to be a forestland, but now the trees on it have been cut down, the soil has been stripped and dug up. The destruction continues", says Çanakkale Deputy Mayor İrfan Mutluay and continues as follows:

"We have tried everything to make it stop. Both the Provincial Municipality of Çanakkale and environmental and professional organizations have tried all legal means. The villages in Ida Mountains have also been informed one by one.

"They will dig this place up, they will open a hellhole here. They will dig up 72 million tons and around 26 tons of it is ore.

"They will grind this ore, lay it as layers and spray dilute cyanide on them. Around 15 million tons will be extracted and they will create a waste dam with cyanide-contaminated material (it is, of course, mixed with water) left behind.

'Apart from cyanide, metals will come to our table'

"Our expert friends say that it will require a dam of around 50 million cubic meters. That dam will affect the rear basin. And it will mix with the cyanide-contaminated soil.

"Not only cyanide, but several toxic metals will pour on us during the operation of the mine as well as in the years to come.

"Heavy metals have a toxic impact on plants, they will both come to our table and affect the agricultural production here.

"They will come back to us as health problems. We have tried all legal means, we have started the water and conscience watch. It is growing with your support. What we want to do is to make people see it."

While we are trying to stomach what we hear about the mine, that is all for today. We will continue reporting on information about the mining site and the people at the watch. (PT/SD)