Golden Horn ‘overfilled with sewage waste’
ISTANBUL
The Golden Horn, the binding inlet between the Bosphorus Strait and the Marmara Sea, has become severely polluted, posing a significant threat to the marine life and ecosystem of the Marmara Sea, Istanbul Environmental Council Secretary-General Zafer Murat Çetintaş has said.
Aerial photographs depict the extent of sewage waste discharged into the Golden Horn, known as Haliç in Turkish, causing it to emit a foul odor.
Drawing attention to the adverse conditions of the bay, Çetintaş asserted that the pollution is not a result of underground mud surfacing but that the inlet is indeed "overfilled with sewage waste."
“It is impossible to swim, and the smell is disturbing. Haliç is on the brink of death,” Çetintaş warned, linking the current condition of the Golden Horn to the suspension of the ongoing projects in the bay.
Referring to picnic areas constructed in the areas surrounding the Golden Horn, Çetintaş stressed the impracticability of such activities around the bay because of the unappealing smell and added that authorities “have to spend two times more money in order to revive Haliç.”
Highlighting the waste streaming down the Marmara Sea, Çetintaş stressed the current situation of Haliç as one of the leading causes of mucilage in the Marmara Sea.
Touching on the upcoming European Olympics that will be held in Istanbul in 2027, the secretary general contemplated the responsibility of disclosing the current state of the Golden Horn during this event of capital importance.
