Within the scope of Turkey Environment Week, which started on June 5, World Environment Day, environmental cleaning was carried out around the Marmara Sea under the leadership of the Union of Municipalities of Marmara. With the support of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, 5 tons of ghost nets were cleaned in the coastal cleaning on the Gölcük Değirmendere coast. Waste from the sea was exhibited by the beach.
Türkiye ENVIRONMENTAL WEEK
In order to protect the Marmara Sea and to create social awareness, coastal cleaning was carried out in the Marmara Sea as part of Turkey Environment Week, June 8, Marmara Sea Day activities. The cleaning was carried out simultaneously with the participation of all municipalities that have beaches around Marmara. Coastal cleaning in the Gulf of Izmit was carried out on the Gölcük Değirmendere Coast. Kocaeli Deputy Governor Ali Ata, Marmara Municipalities Union and Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, Gölcük Mayor Ali Yıldırım Sezer, neighborhood headmen, Hacı Halit Erkut Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School students and citizens attended the program.
“WE HAVE BEEN WORKING UNDER WATER FOR 9 DAYS”
Underwater Imaging Director Tahsin Ceyhan made the first speech in the program. Ceyhan, who also viewed the underwater life in the Gulf of Izmit, said, “There is a serious debris from the past under the water. The biggest reason for this is the unconsciously thrown nets and the destruction created by those nets. We are here for 9 days. Together with the Değirmendere Water Group, we removed the nets under the water. We also witnessed tragic scenes underwater. We also saw creatures caught in fishing nets. Değirmendere, Gölcük, Kocaeli is a coastal city. You will see many sea urchins at the bottom. If there is sea urchin, that water is of good quality. Anything thrown along with the nets seriously damages the water. We want to clean them. I would like to thank our Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and the employees of the Department of Environmental Protection”.
“Bottom Mud is Removing”
Gölcük Mayor Ali Yıldırım Sezer said, “As the rulers of this city, we need to leave our nature clean for the next generations. The current work is very important in this sense. But it's not just the work here. Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality is doing the most important work. There is serious work on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Izmit to clean the bottom mud. The work done to increase biodiversity is very important. Fishing of the seas is very important. I would like to thank everyone who did the work, especially our President Büyükakın, who realized these.”
“WE ARE WORKING ACCORDING TO OUR ACTION PLAN”
Speaking at the event, President Büyükakın said, “As Union of Marmara Municipalities, we are doing this work in the whole of Marmara today. A study organized with our Ministry of Environment. If there is too much nitrogen in the sea than it should be, you are faced with a structure called mucilage. In order to prevent this, a coordination study was carried out with our Ministry. A 23-item action plan was put forward. One of these items, and most importantly, is to clear ghost nets from our seas. It is our duty to protect the whole of nature. One of the main factors of pollution in the sea is the discharge of sewage waste from houses into the sea. 1,5 cubic meters of domestic waste is dumped into the Marmara Sea. We are working hard to clean the Marmara Sea. Currently, around 100 events are held simultaneously in Marmara. Let's all put our hands under the stone together. I wish each of you to be a Kocaeli volunteer, a volunteer.”
CLEANING ON THE COASTLINE AND UNDERWATER
After the speeches, the protocol and volunteer citizens carried out cleaning work around the Gulf of Izmit in order to increase social awareness in the protection of the Marmara Sea. Citizens carried out environmental and coastal cleaning on the coast of Değirmendere. Divers, on the other hand, cleaned the bottom, especially the ghost nets in the Gulf of Izmit. After the cleaning, the wastes removed from the water were exhibited in the event area. Within the scope of coastal cleaning, divers cleaned 5 tons of ghost nets.