Treatment plant helps clean Lake Uluabat in Turkey's west

BURSA

Water pollution in Lake Uluabat in the northwestern province of Bursa, one of the 14 wetlands in Turkey mentioned in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (RAMSAR), has started declining thanks to a new water treatment plant.

The Akçalar Waste Water Treatment Plant, built by the Bursa Municipality with an investment of 35 million Turkish Liras ($6.5 million), started operations in October to treat the waste water discharged to Lake Uluabat, which is located on the northwestern bird migration route and is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and the Middle East with the diversity of birds it hosts every year.

The facility which serves a region with a population of around 25,000 people discharges water in line with European Union standards thanks to its physical, advanced biological and ultraviolet disinfection treatment.

With 4,561 cubic meters of wastewater treated per day, the plant will help the sustainability of species in the lake, which is home to birds such as small cormorant, tufted pelican, whiskered tern, heron and spoonbill, and some fish species.

Bursa Mayor Alinur Aktaş told state-run Anadolu Agency that Lake Uluabat is one of the most important wetlands of Turkey, and Gölyazı village by the lake is a significant tourism destination.

“Bursa is a rapidly growing and industrializing city. We improve the quality of our water with drinking water, rain water and sewage facilities.”

The water treatment plant in Akçalar will help preserve the wildlife in the lake for future generations,” the mayor said.

“The facility allows all lines around Lake Uluabat to be collected and discharged in one place,” said Aktaş.

“An excellent biological treatment system has been implemented. We continue to work to make Uluabat Lake, which is an important value of our country, cleaner. Settlements around the lake are growing every day. Despite this growth, we collect all domestic and industrial wastes in a single line and treat them here before discharge, preventing pollution in Lake Uluabat.”

Aktaş noted that pollution emerges in case of an inability to control domestic wastes with rapid urbanization.

“The fact that even one house is not included in the treatment process returns to us as pollution. This facility has the capacity to treat the entire wastewater in the area,” he added.

Lake Uluabat is one of the mid-sized lakes of Turkey. The lake stretches from east to west and with a length of 24 km and a width of 10 km.