Work continues intensively within the scope of the "Izmit Gulf Eastern Basin Bottom Sludge Cleaning, Dewatering and Disposal Service Project", which is Turkey's largest environmental project implemented by Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality together with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.
From May 2023, when the work started, until the end of the year, a total of 13 thousand 500 trucks (the size of 50 football fields) of bottom mud were removed from Izmit Bay and transported. When the project is completed, it is aimed for Izmit Bay to regain its old days, become a giant aquarium and increase its biodiversity.
The project, which is Turkey's largest environmental project and aims to transform the Gulf of Izmit into a huge aquarium, started with the motto "resurrection begins from the bottom" at a ceremony held in May 2023. In the project carried out by the Department of Environmental Protection and Control, 2023 thousand 205 cubic meters, that is, 404,88 thousand 13 trucks, of bottom sludge were removed and transported in 500. This amount of bottom mud is equivalent to an area the width of 50 football fields. Approximately 10 thousand people, including officials from public institutions and organizations, NGO managers and members, faculty members and students from universities, officials from many different institutions and citizens, visited Turkey's largest environmental project and received information from the authorities.
TOTAL 8,5 MILLION TONS OF MUD
Within the scope of the project, 8,5 million tons of mud will be removed from Izmit Bay. The sludge, which is extracted from the eastern basin of the bay through pipes and pumped to land, is taken to the dewatering facility here. Work continues uninterruptedly on the project, which is planned to be completed in 5 years.
Work continues to re-evaluate the mud extracted from Izmit Bay. Studies carried out in cooperation with the Metropolitan Municipality and Kocaeli University revealed that bottom mud can be used as a building material in the construction industry. Within the scope of the study carried out by academics, bottom mud extracted from Izmit Bay was examined in the laboratory. It has been revealed that ground mud, which is ground, dried and then sieved, can be used in the production of bricks, briquettes, brake pads and ceramics in different sectors after going through the necessary processes.
