Ministry introduces new measures against water pollution

ANKARA

The Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry has imposed additional monitoring requirements for municipal wastewater treatment plants in a bid to prevent industrial water pollution.

“Our water resources are rapidly declining. If it goes on like this, it’s not too far away, there may be a global water shortage in 10 years. We have to use our resources more efficiently,” Minister Murat Kurum tweeted, announcing the regulation in this context.

Additional monitoring will be required for municipal wastewater treatment plants, while industrial pollution parameters will also be monitored at the exit of urban wastewater treatment plants with an installed capacity of 5,000 cubic meters/day and above, in order to prevent industrial pollution, Kurum elaborated.

“Industrial pollution will be detected in urban wastewater and measures will also be taken to reduce it.”

The ministry aims to bring the sewage sludge into the economy with the amended regulation as the legal basis for its use as a value-added resource was strengthened, he added.

Restrictions were also made for the chemical oxygen demand (COD) parameter in the current sector-based wastewater discharge standards, thus increasing the quality of water resources, the minister said.

The regulation also foresees dredging works to be carried out in the lakes to prevent sludge-induced pollution by bringing certain standards.

Furthermore, technical details regarding the discharge of the water that comes out of the mine sites to the receiving environment were determined.

With the regulation, it will also be possible to produce more sustainable alternatives for the disposal of domestic wastewater originating from small settlements with a population of less than 2,000, taking into account local conditions.

Türkiye spent some 66.3 billion Turkish Liras ($3.5 billion) on projects related to environmental protection in 2021, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

There was an increase of 59.2 percent in total environmental protection expenditure in 2021 compared to the previous year.

In total environmental protection expenditure, waste management services accounted for 58.5 percent. It was followed by wastewater management services with 27 percent and protection of biodiversity and landscapes with 4.2 percent.

“Environmental protection investment expenditure amounted to 13.6 billion liras in 2021, with an increase of 75 percent compared to the previous year,” TÜİK also reported.