Two million tons of sand allegedly stolen from Antalya's Patara Beach

Patara is known for its beach and dunes. (Photos: AA/File)

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Some 2,168 truckloads of sand was reportedly stolen from Patara Beach, Antalya to be sold to nearby hotels and greenhouse owners.

Submitting a parliamentary question about the reports, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ali Kenanoğlu asked the Minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum whether the reports were true and warned of the possible environmental impact of moving the sand.

A popular holiday resort and a natural protected area on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, Patara is known for its dunes and beach that is a nesting site for Caretta carettas.

The alleged stealing of the sand was first reported by daily Cumhuriyet on Sunday (June 6). A civil servant who wanted to record the removal of sand from the beach was suspended from duty, it reported.

The district head of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was among those who wanted to prevent the officer, according to the report.

The officer was reportedly suspended after telling the AKP district head that "I'll take minutes even if the president comes here." He was later reinstated.

The sand was sold to hotels for their private beaches and greenhouse owners, who use sand to treat underground water, Kenanoğlu noted, citing reports.

The removal of sand might also trigger dune movements in Patara and cause damage to Caretta caretta nests and other endemic species, the MP warned.

Kenanoğlu asked the following questions to the minister:

• Who did steal sand from the Patara Special Protected Area and sell it?

• To whom and for how much money was the sand stolen from Patara sold?

• Will there be works to put the stolen sand back to the beach for the protection of Patara?

• Has any action been taken against the operations chief and the operations manager who turned a blind eye to the stealing of sand from Patara?

• Who are those who prevented the protection officer at the Patara Special Protected Zone? Has an investigation been started against those who prevented the officer? (DŞ/VK)