Stone quarry in Iğdır: ‘Village has turned into a prison’

* Photo: MA

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The stone quarry of Yeni Dünya (New World) Foundation Provincial Representative Abdulcebbar Baştemur has started operating again in the Suveren (Horgow) village, which is located some 15 kilometers from the city center of Iğdır province in eastern Turkey.

As part of the "project to increase the capacity" of the stone quarry, which has been operating for 6 years, an application was made to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. It was decided that "no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was necessary" for the project.

The quarry has started operating again following this decision. The sky over the village has turned gray due to the dust cloud caused by the explosion of dynamites in the quarry, which was moved by winds.

Villagers say that they do not want the stone quarry in the region, raising concerns that the chronic diseases have been on the increase in the village due to the stone quarry in operation for 6 years.

'People have difficulty breathing'

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Mehmet Köseme, one of the villagers in Iğdır, says that the dust cloud rising from the stone quarry has captivated the entire village, adding that animals are dying and humans are losing their lives as a result of this dust cloud:

"Since the stone quarry was opened, there has been a serious increase in the number of animals who got sick or died. Most animals go blind due to the dust. They cannot see. As it is a thin dust, people have difficulty breathing. Even though we inform the authorities about the problem, no one lends an ear to it. They are harming people, animals and nature to make money."

'We are not treated as humans'

Ali Yalçın, another villager, stresses that what is done is harmful for them, adding that the dust and smoke coming from the quarry have a negative effect on their lives. "The butcher thinks about meat, the lamb about the knife," says Yalçın, noting that the owner of the quarry is after his own money and benefit, but does not think about people's health right next to the quarry.

Protesting that "the people living in the village are not treated as human beings", Yalçın says: "If they had treated the people living in this village as human beings, they would have taken precautions.

"We cannot bring out animals to the place where we normally feed them. People and animals are affected by the dust."

'Village has turned into a prison'

Ayşan Akbulut also says that her relatives' hundreds of sheep died in the village due to the dust coming from the quarry. Noting that they can no longer endure the dust, Akbulut briefly adds the following:

"Especially when a wind blows, the entire village disappears due to the dust. Our request is that: Either close the quarry or take measures.

"Since the stone quarry was opened, several diseases have come up in the village. Due to the stone quarry, we can no longer go to the places where we used to picnic. We cannot leave our doors and windows open. The village has turned into a prison for us. We cannot even hang our laundry outside." (TP/SD)