Akyaka Azmağı dip cleaning removes 80 kg of waste in Turkey

Municipal and environmental groups in Muğla, Turkey carried out a coordinated dip‑cleaning operation in the Akyaka Azmağı waterway. The effort, organized by the Muğla Büyükşehir Belediyesi’s Climate Change and Zero‑Waste Department together with Ula Municipality, the Akdeniz Ecological Heritage Association and the Akyaka Azmak Tourism Cooperative, removed more than 80 kilograms of debris from the riverbed and shoreline, including tires, plastic bottles, glass fragments and metal objects.

Dr. Mert Gökalp, founder of the Akdeniz Ecological Heritage Association and underwater biologist, highlighted the threat posed by litter from visitors and confirmed the volume of waste collected. Captain Şadi Durmaz noted the difficulty of underwater work compared with surface cleaning, and Cihan Dündar, head of the municipality’s climate department, stressed the importance of such projects for protecting the ecosystem of this nationally recognised natural heritage site.