Parliamentary committee concludes inquiry on marine mucilage problem in Sea of Marmara

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Established to determine the causes of the marine mucilage problem in the Sea of Marmara, an inland sea in northwestern Turkey, and other seas, the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee on Mucilage has completed its report.

MP Mustafa Demir of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), who chairs the committee, said no untreated wastewater should be discharged into the sea from the seven provinces around it.

"7.5 million cubic meters of wastewater is discharged to the Sea of ​​Marmara. Seventy-six percent of this is from Istanbul. At all costs, İstanbul should no longer discharge water into the Sea of ​​Marmara without advanced biological treatment," he said.

A thick layer of marine mucilage, also known as "sea snot," had covered the surface of the sea for months last year. The government launched efforts to "vacuum up" the mucilage, but the underlying problems remained, according to experts. 

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How the problem should be solved

According to the committee report, the increased water needs due to the rapid population growth and excessive use of water due to the industrial and agricultural activities show the importance of wastewater management.

The report lists the following recommendations to solve the problem:

The basic principle in waste water management should be "minimum pollution" and "maximum recovery."

It should be ensured that the wastewater flow and pollution load are reduced by applying clean production practices based on the principle of preventing pollution at its source.

After the wastewater is treated with appropriate treatment methods, reuse alternatives should be evaluated and the discharge of wastewater should be carried out in accordance with the standards specified in the legislation.

The use of treated domestic wastewater in industry, parks, gardens and green field irrigation should become more common. Legal arrangements should be made about the reuse of used water.

The reuse of greywater should be encouraged by legal arrangements.

Advanced biological treatment should be applied to all domestic and industrial wastewater; reducing the nitrogen-phosphorus load of the Sea of Marmara should be prioritized.

All existing wastewater treatment facilities should be converted to advanced biological treatment facilities.

The practice of using the undercurrent of the Sea of Marmara as a conveyor to bring untreated or insufficiently treated wastewater should be abandoned.

Agricultural pollution

About the pollution in the Sea of Marmara caused by agricultural activities, the report says, "The most important factor in the formation of mucilage in the Sea of ​​Marmara is the increase in the ratio of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) in the water."

The overuse of chemical fertilizers, animal excrement that are not stored properly by livestock enterprises and the nutrients in silage waters cause pollution in the sea, according to the report.

"Strict measures should be taken to control the use of pesticides, fertilizers and other chemical compounds in the basin and to prevent the release of wastes during the use, production, transportation and storage of such chemicals; and the use of organic fertilizers in the basin should be encouraged."

(TP/VK)