In a concerted effort to safeguard biodiversity, a undertaking initiated in May has made important strides in cleansing the northern Gulf of Izmit, eradicating 200,000 cubic meters of backside mud from the ocean and revitalizing an space spanning 32 hectares.
The initiative, “Izmit Gulf Eastern Basin Bottom Sludge Cleaning, Dewatering, and Disposal Service Project,” is a collaborative endeavor between the Ministry of Health, the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and the Department of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. It particularly targets the jap facet of the Gulf of Izmit.
Operations are carried out from a development web site established throughout a 70-decare space in Izmit district’s former fairground location. Dredging and dewatering processes facilitate the extraction of mud from the ocean with the help of ships and pipes, transporting it to the designated storage space.
Over the span of seven months, roughly 32 hectares of the focused 468-hectare space within the jap a part of Izmit Bay have been successfully cleaned, as famous by Mesut Önem, Head of the Metropolitan Municipality Environmental Protection and Control Department. Önem highlighted the realm’s important biodiversity challenges, highlighting points associated to low water circulation, odor, turbidity and algae blooms brought on by the mud.
“Our primary goal is to prevent recurring biological changes and the resurgence of mucilage or algal blooms,” Onem acknowledged. He emphasised the exceptional decline in biodiversity from 40 fish species discovered within the cleaner zones of Izmit Bay to solely 4 species noticed within the affected space, based mostly on sampling research carried out with Istanbul University.
Efforts contain separating stable and liquid parts, returning cleaned water to the ocean and storing the sludge in geotextile tubes. Önem harassed the ecological significance of this cleansing endeavor, remarking, “We are removing mud that has accumulated over 100 years from the marine ecosystem.”
With a workforce of 120 people working on-site, the undertaking extracts roughly 3,000 cubic meters of mud per hour, contributing considerably to the restoration of marine ecosystems. Önem expressed their intent to conclude the undertaking by the tip of 2026, outlining their ongoing use of geotextile tubes and analysis collaborations with Kocaeli University (KOÜ) to discover revolutionary purposes for the extracted sludge.
“We aim to further develop research and development studies based on feasibility results, emphasizing the importance of recycling the sludge for the sake of preserving nature,” Önem emphasised.
The undertaking has garnered worldwide consideration, attracting visits from journalists and researchers worldwide. Önem reiterated the worldwide impression and exemplariness of the initiative, highlighting its significance for each the marine ecosystem and future sustainability efforts.
“This project proves our commitment and vision for the future. There is no parallel project worldwide focused on such extensive cleaning efforts. We are solely dedicated to cleansing the accumulated mud from the easternmost part of the Marmara Sea, a crucial endeavor for the marine ecosystem and our collective future,” Önem concluded.
Source: www.dailysabah.com