Residents in the Altınordu district of Ordu, northern Turkey, have entered the 50th day of a protest against a construction project planned for a former landfill that is home to over 100 bird species and located on a key migration route.
Demonstrators are calling for the site to be preserved as a green space and bird sanctuary. They have organized weekly marches every Sunday, completing their sixth yesterday.
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Speaking at the event, Elif Şıhoğlu İlhan, a board member of the Ordu Environmental Association (ORÇEV), said legal action against the zoning change and the construction tender is still ongoing.
“The regional appeals court has upheld the annulment of the zoning change,” she said. “Despite this, continuing work on the site clearly causes public harm. The company moving the waste and soil will be paid regardless. This mistake must be corrected immediately and all work must stop.”
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İlhan also noted that the case challenging the tender itself has not yet been reviewed by the Ordu Administrative Court. “If the court rules against the Ordu Metropolitan Municipality, won't the public's money have been spent for nothing?” she asked. “Wouldn’t the municipality's administrators then be knowingly causing public loss?”
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Despite a decision by the ministry to transfer waste to the nearby town of Ünye, waste is still being dumped at the contested site, İlhan said.
“With this ongoing dumping, the soil, air, and water of the Divanı neighborhood are being deliberately polluted,” she said. “People are being condemned to live in filth and toxicity. This is unacceptable.”
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İlhan emphasized that the environmental impact goes beyond a single neighborhood. She accused both the Ordu Metropolitan Municipality and the contracted company of disregarding official instructions and regulations.
“We once again condemn those who violate the rules and those who turn a blind eye to these violations,” she said. She warned that the process would continue unless unchecked development is stopped.
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Calling on the public to prevent any initial construction work, İlhan concluded, “We will succeed together. The old landfill in Durugöl could be declared a green zone and opened to ecotourism. The city has become a concrete mass—let’s protect this rare breathing space and preserve it for future generations.” (TY/VK)
