Tourism in Turkey is in danger: it has found itself in a difficult situation due to severe pollution of the sea and beaches in the Antalya region, Turkish media reported, citing a statement by local environmentalists. In Antalya, one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, tourists began to complain en masse about the impossibility of being at sea, because the body sticks to black mucus, which is very difficult to get rid of.
“It sticks to people’s bodies. Our beaches are getting dirty. It is also unpleasant from the point of view of tourism. He was seen in the Kemer-Adrasan area around the 2nd of June (June 2). I think that with the current and the wind he approached Konyaalti and Lara, “said Daria Unver, chairman of the Chamber of Environmental Engineers.
Early morning cleaning work by teams from the capital’s Antalya municipality showed that wastes that are considered similar to oil derivatives harden and clump at night due to lower temperatures. In the afternoon it was stated that with the sunrise the substance again turns into a liquid state due to rising temperatures.
The capital of the Antalya municipality has been cleaning the beaches of Konyaalti, Lara, and Saris since Saturday morning, June 4. In Antalya, one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, the number of beaches with a blue flag has risen to 213. However, recently on the coast of Konyaalti and Lara, tourists began to leave the sea covered with oil. Photos of black hands and feet flew around social networks.
According to Akhmeniz University of Aquaculture professor Dr. Mehmet Gekoglu, who studies the Konyaalti coast, tourists swimming in the sea have fallen into the oil tar. He explained that there may have been an oil spill from a large seagoing ship off the coast of Syria in early winter. “The sea of Antalya is clean. We are in the region with the largest number of blue flags. This problem did not arise because of Turkey. This is probably a continuation of the incident in Syria, “he suggested.
“We do not know what is happening now,” said Tevfik Altinai, regional director of environment, urbanization, and climate change, in connection with the incident on the coast. The source of the pollution is unknown, it may have originated from international waters or leaked from the ship. According to him, the command of the Coast Guard and the capital of the municipality of Antalya are working in coordination. Scanning is in progress. Samples were sent to the laboratory for analysis of a substance similar to the oil content found on the popular beaches of the resort province. Meanwhile, intensive work is being done to clean up the pollution of the beaches, which are incredibly popular among tourists, as pollution can cause an outflow of vacationers.
According to the expert, on the morning of June 6, both coastal and diving inspections were conducted on the Konyaalti coast. No contamination was detected. In this regard, experts have concluded that oil is brought to the coast by the wind. “Sometimes you can see particles of resin coming ashore. The source of pollution is in the sea, not on the coast or land. We are trying to purify the oil tar, “he explained.
The first alarm call came to the municipality on Friday night. Even then, experts, based on the description, suggested that it was an oil-containing substance. “We hope that everything will end as soon as possible. We are talking about oil-derived waste, and we see the benefit of conducting a thorough study so that the waste that falls ashore is not harmful to human health and marine life, “added environmentalists.
Flags on the beaches were lowered within the criteria of the Blue Flag due to the efforts of the Coordination Council of Antalya of the Turkish Environmental Education Fund on many beaches, where a report on the appearance of oil was received. Employees of the environmental department of the regional health department also continue to work and investigate the incident.