Cancer foundation holds protest over polluted river

TEKİRDAĞ

In a bid to draw attention to pollution and the risk of cancer in the Ergene River Basin, the Foundation for Children with Leukemia (LÖSEV) has organized a protest at the banks of Çorlu Creek in the western province of Tekirdağ.

Around 500 LÖSEV volunteers, including cancer survivors, wore masks and carried banners that read "We don't want to get cancer," "Don’t let rivers die," and "Say stop to cancer."

"The Ergene Basin, one of Türkiye's most fertile agricultural lands, has been struggling with heavy metal, chemical and household waste pollution for years. It is sad and worrying for all of us that these lands, which are very precious to our country, are spreading cancer. We must come together immediately and take measures before it is too late," LÖSEV Social Services General Coordinator Jülide Arifoğlu said in her press statement.

Noting that cancer is spreading rapidly due to environmental factors, Arifoğlu stated, "Ergene, which was a sparkling river years ago, has now turned into an uncontrolled waste channel in which no living creature can survive. We also know that heavy metal pollution in the region increases the risk of developing bladder, prostate and kidney cancers, while air pollution increases the risk of developing many types of cancer, especially lung cancer."

Arifoğlu also shared that more than 250,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Türkiye and emphasized that cancer is a preventable disease.