Filyos Valley in Black Sea to be allocated to fertilizer production, scrap iron melting

* Photos: Filyos Valley / facebook.com/filyosvadisi

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Zonguldak Environment Protection Association Chair Ahmet Öztürk has spoken to the local Pusula newspaper and raised concerns that land has been allocated to fertilizer and scrap iron melting factories in Filyos Valley despite the promises and against planning principles.

Objecting to this allocation in Turkey's Black Sea province of Zonguldak, Ahmet Öztürk has noted that "according to the statements signed by all related units of the state and published on the official website, these investments cannot be a part of the Filyos Valley Project."

From 'intermediate, high' tech to scrap iron

As indicated by Öztürk, when the website of the project is closely observed it is seen that as part of the investments to be made in the Filyos Valley, the following plans based on "intermediate and high technology" are expected to take place in the area: "Electrical Equipment Manufacturing; Not Elsewhere Classified Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing; Motor Vehicle, Trailer and Semi-Trailer Manufacturing; Manufacturing of Other Transportation Vehicles (except 30.10 and 30.30) and "High Technology" based, Basic Pharmaceutical Products Manufacturing of Pharmaceutical and Pharmaceutical Materials; Manufacturing of Computers, Electronic and Optical Products; Manufacturing of Aircraft and Spacecraft and Related Machinery; Manufacturing of Weapons and Ammunition (Ammo), Manufacturing of Medical and Dental Tools and Equipment..."

However, in practice, the Environment Protection Association has observed that "wide-scale allocation of land to fertilizer and scrap iron melting factories" has been the case in the Filyos Valley.

"As it is also reported in the press, the state does not fulfill the commitments it has undertaken," Öztürk has said.

'Fertilizer' meant by 'local, innovative and green'

Speaking to Pusula Newspaper, Association Chair Öztürk has also summarized the struggle that has been waged so far: "As ecology organizations, we have been saying since the very beginning that this project will irreversibly damage nature. Accordingly, we ensured that several rulings of annulment were taken in the lawsuits that were filed."

According to Ahmet Öztürk, the related ministries and institutions of the state tried to eliminate these concerns by promising "local, innovative and green" technology. However, the Association Chair has underlined, "The investments unveiled one after the other show that the exact opposite of what was promised is being done." Öztürk has said, "On the 'filyosvadisi.com' official website of the project, wide-scale allocations are made to fertilizer and scrap iron melting factories, not to the sectors announced with their NACE grades."

Ahmet Öztürk has defined it as "unacceptable" that "these investments, which will cause irreparable damage on the highest quality agricultural fields, have been chosen among the sectors with such a high environmental impact and such a low technology level."

'Pollutants to be emitted to air, water, soil'

Zonguldak Environment Protection Association Chair Öztürk has raised concerns that "at the factory, in addition to the ammonia and fluorine compounds necessary for the chemical fertilizer, sulphuric, nitric and phosphoric acids will also be produced. Apart from the fumes to be emitted from the reactions during the production process of these chemicals, pollutants such as ammonia, nitrogen, phosphore, sulfate and fluorine compounds, cadmium, chlorine and iron compounds will also inevitably be in the waste water."

Moreover, Öztürk has also noted that 18 million cubic meters of water to be taken from the Filyos River, the most important water source of the region, may be returned to nature in a contaminated manner every year after it is used for the production of the related chemicals.

According to Öztürk, it is also the case for the "iron and steel facilities with electric arc furnaces", for which land has been allocated in the region. The Association Chair has underlined that this allocation shows "the ecological value of the Filyos Valley has been completely disregarded."

"They will melt millions of tons of scrap metal here. The origin and content of the scrap to be melted is not clear," he has noted, adding that "such facilities emit several harmful substances in addition to a considerable amount of dust." He has raised concerns that during the process of melting, heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury mix with air." He has warned that "eliminating gasified mercury with a filter is impossible."

'State violates its own commitments'

Referring to the statements on the official website of the project and signed by "all units of the state from the Presidency to the relevant ministries, from the Governor's Office of Zonguldak to the West Black Sea Development Agency", Öztürk has noted that "these investments cannot be a part of Filyos Valley Project" according to the related statements.

Underlining that these investments "do not comply with the planned technological levels and will lead to extremely high environmental effects," Öztürk has reiterated that "insisting on these investments will mean that the commitments of the state will be trampled upon and the prestige of the state will be undermined." He has said, "No one has the right to do this."

Concluding his remarks, Zonguldak Environment Protection Association Chair Ahmet Öztürk has made a call to the people of Zonguldak to be "sensitive in the face of the investments hostile to nature that are imposed on people by benefiting from high unemployment rates in the region."

"As we have seen in the case of Çatalağzı-Muslu, such investments do not create employment; on the contrary, they lead to further losses of population as they negatively affect urban life quality," he has added, urging the locals "to not support such initiatives." (AEK/SD)