Yayladağı mining expansion sparks environmental concerns

CHP official Yıldırım Kara has raised alarms regarding intensive mining and industrial projects in the Yayladağı region. According to data from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, 75 facility projects are prepared within the boundaries of Yayladağı, with 34 of these either not requiring an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or having received a decision stating an EIA was unnecessary.

In the Yukarıokçular neighborhood, Kara noted that nine polluting facilities are operating without EIA approval, some of which are owned by municipalities or the Investment Monitoring and Coordination Presidency. Estimates suggest that cumulative extraction could reach approximately 10 million tons of ore and waste annually.

Kara criticized the use of earthquake reconstruction needs as a justification for expanding these operations, suggesting that the region is being turned into a mining zone. Local residents have reported increased respiratory diseases, loss of olive harvests, and negative impacts on livestock due to air pollution, traffic, and vibrations from dynamite usage.