14.06.2026 11:01
Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum examined the change in the sea firsthand by scuba diving in the Gulf of Izmit, where 2.4 million cubic meters of bottom sludge has been cleaned. Announcing that 70 percent of the cleaning efforts have been completed, Kurum stated that the model implemented in the Gulf of Izmit will now be applied in the Gulf of Fethiye.
The second phase of the 'Gulf of Izmit Eastern Basin Bottom Mud Cleaning, Dewatering and Disposal Service Project', carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, has been completed. Within the scope of the project, which is 70% complete, 2.4 million cubic meters of bottom mud have been cleaned. Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, together with Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, sailed from Izmit March 1 Ferry Pier and performed a scuba dive in the cleaned area.
"WE CAN SAY 70% OF THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED" In his statement after the dive, Minister Murat Kurum, noting that they initiated a cleaning operation in the Gulf of Izmit within the scope of the Marmara Sea Protection Action Plan in 2022, said the following:
"The project we launched is the world's largest environmental and nature protection project. Thank God, today we happily saw that seagrasses are reviving on the seabed. We saw starfish, sea cucumbers; we saw that the ecosystem here is reviving. It is a great joy for us. God has granted us to undertake such a task. We valued it greatly because it started with mucilage. We started with the understanding of protecting the Marmara Sea; leaving a much more beautiful Kocaeli and a much more beautiful Turkey for our children and future generations. Our esteemed President and his honorable wife, Emine Erdoğan, truly gave special attention and support to this project, to our Kocaeli, to our Marmara. Together with our Metropolitan Municipality, we completed two phases. In these two phases, we removed and disposed of a total of 2.4 million cubic meters of bottom mud. Our overall target is to reach 3.8 million. We can say 70% of the project is completed. The ecosystem there is reviving spontaneously, and we have started to see fish and creatures we had not seen before. Frankly, the sea has begun to breathe."
"WE ARE STARTING DREDGING IN FETHIYE GULF" Announcing that a similar initiative for the Aegean coasts has been launched following the cleaning of the Gulf of Izmit, Minister Kurum said, "We will extend from the Gulf to the Aegean. We started and completed 17 mooring buoy projects on the Göcek coast. Now, boats cannot anchor arbitrarily there. Our Environmental Agency completed this project in 17 bays. The mooring buoys there serve our citizens. We will also initiate an important project, let us announce it here. We are starting a project to continue this cleaning from the Gulf of Izmit to the Gulf of Fethiye. Two more dredging vessels have joined our fleet in Fethiye. We are starting dredging in the Gulf of Fethiye. We are taking steps to make our Gulf of Fethiye worthy of our country, our citizens, and our nation. Just as we succeeded in Kocaeli, we will now succeed in the Gulf of Fethiye," he said.
"WE INVITE ALL MUNICIPALITIES IN MARMARA TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY" Minister Kurum stated that within the scope of the Zero Waste Blue Project, while seas, lakes, and rivers are protected, wastes are reintegrated into the economy through a circular economy. Drawing attention to Turkey's COP31 presidency process and the responsibilities of local governments in environmental policy, Kurum said, "This year Turkey has a special feature; it will carry out the COP31 presidency process. Under the leadership of our President, we will actually show the whole world what environmental love is; not environmentalism in words, but active, concrete, action-based, and practice-based environmentalism. In this process where we have moved from rhetoric to commitment and implementation, we will also proclaim to the whole world that we all need to put our hand and body to the task. 196 countries will participate. Last week, we announced the action agenda in Germany. We received positive reactions from all countries. This action agenda includes many topics from zero waste to circular economy, from green industry to sustainable cities and resilient cities, and we have set certain commitments and targets. We are taking these steps step by step in line with our President's 2053 net zero emission target. Seas and oceans are very precious and valuable to us because they are our sink areas, areas where harmful gases and emissions are absorbed. That is why we care about the Marmara Sea. And we invite all municipalities in the Marmara region to take responsibility. Just as we are fulfilling our commitments here together with Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, we must similarly improve wastewater treatment plants, implement regular storage areas, and discharge treated water into the sea using advanced biological treatment plants with other municipalities. We will do this through action, not words, and we must all wage this struggle together. It is our duty to implement the Marmara Sea Protection Action Plan we adopted that day. This is something we must do. Therefore, I once again invite all municipalities to fulfill the responsibilities they signed that day," he said.