‘If Marmara’s cry is not heard, it will take a heavy toll’

* Photos: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Click to read the article in Turkish

Candan Yüceer, an MP for northwestern Tekirdağ province from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has submitted a Parliamentary question about the pollution in the Ergene River in the region and the ongoing mucilage problem in the Sea of Marmara.

Submitting Parliamentary inquiries about the issues as well, Yüceer's requests for a Parliamentary investigation into the problems were discussed and accepted by the General Assembly of the Parliament.

Accordingly, a Parliamentary investigation commission has been established. The commission will have 19 members, work for 3 months and be able to make an on-site examination, when necessary.

The 'cry' of the Marmara Sea

CHP's Candan Yüceer has emphasized that the current 'sea snot' problem in the Sea of Marmara cannot be handled separately from the pollution in the Ergene River in the east Thrace region of Turkey.

"The industrial and domestic waste released into the Ergene River has been mixing in the Marmara Sea for years, either directly without being treated or with the method of deep cycling," Yüceer has noted.

According to Yüceer, "as part of the Ergene Basin Protection Action Plan, which was launched in 2011 to save the Ergene River, some of the pollution in the river was released into deep Marmara in November 2020."

She has emphasized, "If the cry of the Marmara is not lent an ear in a rational manner as soon as possible, it will take a very heavy toll. All life in the Sea of Marmara will end, the tourism, fishing activities and agriculture around the Sea of Marmara will come to an end."

Ergene's water is black

Yüceer has raised concerns that despite the works planned to be undertaken for years, Ergene is still polluted with domestic waste and the industrial waste released by industrial facilities in the region.

"The current dimensions of the environmental pollution in the Ergene River have been seriously affecting the lives of all living beings in the region," Yüceer has noted, adding that "while the Ergene's water is very clear in places near its spring, the water is polluted while it is flowing through the industrial sites and residential areas and turning black along the way."

'İstanbul and Thrace getting sick'

Against this backdrop, Yüceer has recalled that the pollution in the Ergene River and its Basin causes several diseases, especially cancer.

Referring to the data shared by the state-run Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) for 2019, Yüceer has noted that "the city with the highest mortality rate due to benign and malignant tumors was İstanbul with 22.2 percent. It was followed by Tekirdağ with 22.1 percent and by Kırklareli and Edirne with 21.9 percent." All three cities mentioned by the MP are located in the Thrace region of northwestern Turkey.

Canal İstanbul

Calling on the authorities to "declare the surrounding area of the Marmara Sea as a disaster zone", Yüceer has said:

"The unrealistic solutions that have not been put into effect or introduced just for the show of it must be abandoned. The deeply rooted problems of waste and sewerage in the Sea of Marmara and its surrounding area must be solved in the guidance of scientists.

"The Ergene River must be cleared of this filth. Industrial facilities must be inspected in the strictest way possible. And, most importantly, the Canal İstanbul Project, which is a death knell for Marmara, must be abandoned."

'The AKP is watching'

Main opposition CHP's Candan Yüceer has also addressed the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and called on it to take action for public health. "Our people are dying, the AKP government is just watching," Yüceer has protested the ruling party's inaction.

Yüceer has also referred to Food Engineer Dr. Bülent Şık, who was put on trial for sharing the results of a cancer research conducted by the Ministry of Health. Yüceer has briefly said the following about the issue:

"With the research conducted by the Ministry of Health, dangerous levels of pesticides, lead and arsenic were detected in the food and water samples taken from Kocaeli, Edirne and Antalya provinces. The Ministry concealed these findings from people; Şık shared them with the public.

"The lawsuit filed against Şık for 'disclosing secrets about duty' ended in a prison sentence of 15 months. The ruling of acquittal given by the appeals court was appealed by the prosecutor's office." (DŞ/SD)