Princes' Islands, Şile declared safe for swimming in cleanliness analysis

ISTANBUL

Beaches on the Princes' Islands and Şile have been declared clean and safe for swimming, despite recent findings by the Health Ministry which reveal alarming levels of pollution at several of Istanbul’s popular beaches.

As the summer heat intensifies, many Istanbul residents flock to the sea to cool off. However, citizens are advised to be wary of where they choose to swim.

The Health Ministry’s Public Health Institution conducted its annual “Swimming Water Monitoring System” analysis, revealing a decline in water quality across many Istanbul beaches.

In Istanbul, it is now difficult to reach the blue color, that is, the perfect level of cleanliness of sea water.

Beaches such as Güneş in Florya, Riva and Çiftalan in Eyüpsultan, Menekşe, Kısırkaya and Beylikdüzü were found to have insufficiently clean water.

The situation is similarly troubling along the Black Sea coast, where Kısırkaya and Çiftalan beaches also show high levels of pollution. Contrastingly, the beaches of the Princes' Islands and Şile maintain a high level of cleanliness, making them safe havens for swimmers.

 Istanbul ferries to implement summer schedule

In response to the summer season and increased demand, Istanbul Municipality City Line ferries will implement a summer schedule from June 17 to Sept. 8.

Adjustments include additional trips to meet passenger density. The 2024 summer schedule introduces two more trips on the Ortaköy-Beşiktaş-Eminönü Line and the Beşiktaş-Adalar Line on weekends and public holidays.

Moreover, the Aşiyan-Anadoluhisarı-Küçüksu Line will add two more voyages. This includes the newly integrated Anadolu Kavağı-Poyraz and Poyraz-Anadolu Kavağı trips.

Since 2019, 10 new maritime lines have been introduced by City Lines to boost public transportation, continuing to operate through the summer schedule.