The mayor's alarming claim: Sewage is mixing with Istanbul's drinking water.

Düzce Mayor Dr. Faruk Özlü made striking claims about Istanbul. The mayor, who alleged that sewage water from Düzce is mixing with Istanbul's drinking water, stated that they could prove this with video evidence.

"SEWAGE AND WASTEWATER FROM DÜZCE ARE MIXING WITH THE WATER GOING TO ISTANBUL"

In Düzce, which meets Istanbul's drinking water needs, Mayor Dr. Faruk Özlü expressed that sewage waters are mixing with the Melen River. He recently published a statement on his social media account. Following this, Mayor Faruk Özlü stated that 36% of Istanbul's water needs are met by Düzce, saying, "During times of drought, this can rise to 50%. During drought periods, 50% of the water needs are met by Düzce. İSKİ has necessary works to do in the water basins. Although İSKİ has been doing some work in the last 5 years, it has not completed the investments it needs to make in Düzce. I saw a statement from İSKİ today saying 'I did not say they did not invest, I said they did not complete their investments.' Indeed, these investments have not been completed. Because these investments have not been completed, sewage and wastewater from Düzce are currently mixing with the water going to Istanbul. We can prove this with video evidence. Especially since the sewage of the Konuralp region is not connected to treatment, unfortunately, it goes to the Melen water. Similarly, the Kaynaşlı and Cumayeri regions are not connected to treatment, and their waters go to Melen. The water from the Melen River also goes to Istanbul. In other words, I meant to say that sewage water from Düzce is mixing with the drinking water going to Istanbul," he stated.

"İSKİ'S INVESTMENT BUDGET IS VERY HIGH"

Stating that the budget of the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ) is very high, Mayor Özlü said, "My call is not a political call. My call is for İSKİ to complete these investments as soon as possible. Look, İSKİ's investment budget is very high. It is around 45 billion lira. Only 0.8% of the investment budget is allocated to Düzce. We obtained this from İSKİ's own pages. The figures we mentioned are the amounts they foresee or express in the 2025 investment budget. I repeat clearly and unequivocally. It is a fact that sewage and wastewater are mixing with the drinking water going from Düzce to Istanbul," he said.