Industrial waste threatens rivers and groundwater in the Western Black Sea

Industrial waste threatens rivers and groundwater in the Western Black Sea

Mustafa Köroğlu, the village head of Alaplı Küçük Tekke Village, stated that the polluted water mixing into Kavakderesi, which passes by their village, reaches Alaplı Port directly, saying: “The slag filth goes all the way to the sea. Breathing is becoming difficult; people are at a breaking point. The pollution increases whenever it rains. Authorities must intervene.” Köroğlu noted that the pollution has reached the fishermen’s shelter and could pose a risk to public health, warning: “People swim and fish in this port. If this waste is not removed, neither the port nor life in the village will remain.”

Çetin Yılmaz, from the Karadeniz Ereğli and Alaplı Environmental Volunteers, stated that the problem is not limited solely to allegations of illegal activities. Pointing out that the slag heaps left in the region despite the closed facilities are causing an environmental disaster, Yılmaz said: “When slag comes into contact with water, it becomes dangerous for living organisms. Its mixing into the stream with rain is inevitable. Unless the waste is completely removed, the risk will persist.” Yılmaz also noted that there is no industrial-type treatment plant in the Alaplı Organised Industrial Zone and stated that similar infrastructural deficiencies are experienced in a significant portion of the organised industrial zones in the Western Black Sea region, expressing that industrial waste threatens rivers and groundwater.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Sanayinin atıkları bir kenti zehirliyor, published in BirGün newspaper on May 15, 2026.