Zonguldak-Filyos Valley project comes under environmental pressure

Zonguldak, Turkey (Ports Europe) June 28, 2020 – In a statement last week celebrating "World Seafarers Day", Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Adil Karaismailoğlu, made a statement regarding the government's vision of the country developing a leading role as a transit port centre, during which he referred to "three big sea port" projects of Zonguldak-Filyos, Izmir-Çandarlı, and Mersin Tasucu. The Zonguldak-Filyos valley project (Filyos Vadisi Projesi) is centred on the development of a new port, Filyos port, located at the Black Sea coast in Filyos town in Çaycuma district in Zonguldak Province, northwestern Turkey. New details have been revealed which indicate wider plans for industrial development which has attracted criticism from environmental groups. The plans could include thermal power plants, a cement factory, petrochemical plants and coal-ore storage facilities. The local Gazete Duvar reports that the details were contained in a report submitted by the Turkish authorities to the World Bank as part of a future application for a loan to help finance development. Apparently, the report says that the project will address employment concerns in the region as traditional mining and related industries reduce and could create over 10,000 jobs. The new port will have a load capacity of 25 million tons, with industrial and free economic zones. Environmental organizations object to the project on the grounds that the river is the most important river in a water-poor region, the delta it creates provides habitat for migratory birds, the valley contains many endemic species and the most important agricultural land of the region, whose agricultural areas are extremely limited due to its rugged structure. The TEMA Foundation, which wants to protect the valley as an 'ecological corridor' due to its natural riches, has filed many lawsuits for the cancellation of the project. It has won many of them and stopped its execution. However, after each court, a new decision of the Council of Ministers was taken and judicial decisions were over-ruled and port construction started. Another discussion in the city was about the investments to be made in the industrial zone. Ecology organizations, which said that there is the largest coal-fired thermal power plant campus in the Çatalağzı-Muslu region, which is 20 km away from Filyos, has brought the issue to the agenda several times, saying that no investment in dirty technology products should be allowed in Filyos. With the ecologists who have been struggling in this direction for years, the people of the region have been promised “chimney-free industry” by all units of the state. Faruk Özlü, the previous Minister of Science, Industry and Technology, stated that the "domestic, innovative and green industry" formulated with "3Y" will be established in the region, while the new Minister Mustafa Varank repeated the same words during his visits to the region. However, there is no clear information about what the planned investments are. What kind of investments will be in the Filyos Valley, which was handed over to Tosyalı Holding without the tender of the management and regulation of the industrial zone, appeared in the documents submitted by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure to the World Bank. The Ministry, which has developed the "Filyos Port and Filyos Industrial Industry Area Railway Connection Line Project" to provide land and rail connection between the tort of Filyos and the industrial zone that will be established right after it, has prepared a file for the World Bank for loan application. Prepared and on the official website of the ministry In the published file, while stating that the study is “a part of Filyos Valley Project”, the investments planned within the scope of the project are as follows: Port, thermal power plant, cement and soil industry, iron and steel plant, LPG storage facilities, petrochemical plant, petroleum and petroleum products storage plant, coal-ore stock area and ash disposal site. It was also included in the report that the preparation of Filyos port and connection roads will take two years in total. Within the scope of the project, it is planned to fill in part of the sea to make the port. Ecology organizations objected to the document opened to public opinion as a draft text. Expressing the issue in many media, ecologists stated that this clearly contradicts the promise of “there will be no heavy industry in Filyos Valley”, which has been repeatedly given to the local people by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology and other officials. One of the most striking parts of the report was the absence of the effects of changes in the flora of the region regarding the natural life. It was stated that the report was prepared in January 2020 and this month was not an appropriate period to detect this situation. Especially in the report, which admitted that the possible effects on bird species could not be determined, it said that this issue should be examined before construction. “In the Biodiversity Study Area, prior to construction, detailed ornithology studies should be conducted during the migration and breeding seasons, and the area usage characteristics, breeding conditions and flight routes of migratory birds should be determined. The Critical Habitat Assessment should be made using the data obtained from pre-construction field studies and the necessary actions for migratory birds should be taken within the scope of the Biodiversity Management Plan in accordance with ESS6 and PS6", said spokesperson of the Livable Zonguldak Platform and President of Zonguldak Environmental Protection Association Ahmet Öztürk Despite these objections of ecologists, the local press has addressed the issue for a long time, the statements in the draft text opened by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure remained the same in the final text published on the official website of the ministry on June 4, 2020. Although the issue is still being discussed, the fact that all state officials, especially AK Party Zonguldak deputies, remain silent, further increased the suspicion that environmentally harmful investments will be realized in Filyos. Ahmet Öztürk, the Spokesperson of the Livable Zonguldak Platform and Zonguldak Environmental Protection Association, whose opinions we have consulted on the subject, said, “The document on the Ministry's site has been officially announced that all of the dirty technology investment is planned in Filyos Valley. Thus, it was revealed that the 25 million-ton capacity port built in Filyos was made for the loading and unloading of imported coal to be brought from abroad for new thermal power plants to be built in the region. It was disclosed to the World Bank, which was hidden from the public in Filyos. One of the rarest natural parts of the country is destroyed by scenes with hidden covers. We cannot remain silent about that". Stating that the railway connection project has passed over the village cemeteries, Öztürk said, “The project that threatens all the diversity of living creatures due to the damages of Filyos, the most valuable ecosystem of our province, to the flora and fauna of the city, also includes the residential areas with an important population, especially in the villages of Sazköy, Aşağı İhsaniye and Derecikören. is destroying. It destroys the rural life in the vicinity to a great extent by destroying agricultural lands such as pasture, forest, grove, and fruitful areas, as well as areas of vital importance for village life. The fact that there are many citizens whose houses will be demolished within the scope of the project also means that the mentioned villages are partially cleared from human settlement. The project, which disturbs the tranquillity of all living creatures, also destroys the Sazköy and Aşağı İhsaniye cemeteries and misses the peace of the people who migrated to the other world. ” Copyright (C) Ports Europe. All Rights Reserved.

Zonguldak-Filyos Valley project comes under environmental pressure

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Zonguldak-Filyos Valley project comes under environmental pressure

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