Pollution in Türkiye’s western Izmir Bay causes “great environmental disaster”: minister

ANKARA, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) — Türkiye’s Environment Minister Murat Kurum declared a “truly great environmental disaster” in the western Izmir Bay on Thursday, following widespread fish deaths and foul odors in recent weeks.
During a visit to the affected area, Kurum attributed the crisis to dangerously low oxygen levels in the bay’s waters caused by “land-based pollution.”
He explained that the oxygen level, which should ideally be 6 milligrams per liter, had plummeted to as low as 1.8 milligrams and even zero in some areas.
Recent seawater samples revealed ammonia levels in the bay to be 50 times higher than normal, a direct result of untreated domestic and industrial waste being discharged into the water.
Kurum criticized local authorities for failing to take necessary precautions and urged them to implement immediate solutions, adding that the Environment Ministry will closely monitor the situation in Izmir Bay. ■