 |
Volcanic ash begins affecting Turkey, poses no major threat
The Transportation Ministry's Civil Aviation General Directorate (SHGM) said on Sunday the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland has started to affect Turkey's airspace. Turkey's Transportation Ministry stated on Sunday that flights to three cities on Turkey's Black Sea coast were suspended due to the ash cloud drifting over Europe.
Ali Arıduru, the official in charge of civil aviation, said the ash cloud has begun to have an effect on Turkish airspace. Airspace above the cities of Zonguldak, Sinop and Samsun remained closed until midnight on Sunday. Flights resumed Monday morning in these three provinces starting at 9:30 a.m.
 People are working to remove ash from the roof of a house in Reykjavik. |
Soon thereafter, the directorate announced that flights over Zonguldak were suspended starting at 12:45 p.m. The directorate also warned airline companies to closely monitor the situation. The SHGM announced that all other airports in the country were open.
Arıduru also spoke to the Anatolia news agency yesterday, saying they are following the spread of the ash in Turkey and that the ash cloud was near Turkey’s northern borders yesterday.
Officials say the ash cloud will have an effect on a broader area starting today. The ash cloud is expected to affect the Marmara and western Black Sea regions today. The ash cloud is also likely to spread to Central Anatolian provinces such as Ankara and Eskişehir on Thursday. Experts say the ash cloud may bring acid rain and will be seen in the sky in Turkey beginning on Tuesday, warning citizens to avoid contact with rain until Friday. Meteorologists expect rain in most parts of Turkey this week.
Inhaling the ash can severely affect babies, the elderly and those with chronic lung and cardiac diseases because inhaled particles can reach the lungs and cause respiratory problems, experts say. Professor of pulmonary disease Ahmet Rasim Küçükusta from İstanbul University’s faculty of medicine says inhaling the ash may lead to rhinitis, coughing, itchy eyes, a sore throat and eye and skin irritation. He advises people to stay indoors as much as possible and to breathe through facemasks if they have to go outside. The World Health Organization (WHO) also previously said there is a heightened risk for those suffering from asthma and respiratory disease due to the ash cloud.
 Passengers are seen waiting and some lying on the floor on Monday at İstanbul Atatürk Airport. With large parts of Europe enforcing no-fly restrictions due to the huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano, passengers had to wait at the airport. Planes that arrived from countries whose airspace was closed to flights due to a huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano, including a Lufthansa plane, had to wait at Atatürk Airport. |
However, parliamentary Environment Commission Deputy Chairman Mustafa Öztürk stated that although volcanic ash can spread quickly, it cannot lead to acid rain. He added that it is not possible to predict what influence the ash will have on Turkey.
 A volcanic eruption in southern Iceland spewed black smoke and white steam into the air on Wednesday and partially melted a glacier, preventing flights over most of Europe. |
The State Airports Management General Directorate (DHMİ) announced in a statement yesterday that the ash cloud had left western Turkey, including İstanbul. The directorate also noted that flight activities must be carried out carefully and that people should not panic since the ash will not have a serious effect at low levels.
Environment and Forestry Ministry Undersecretary Hasan Zuhuri Sarıkaya met with meteorology directorate officials in Ankara yesterday to discuss the effects of the ash cloud. Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Sarıkaya also said the ash cloud would not pose a threat to Turkey until Tuesday morning.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BÜLENT KENEŞ |  |
||
| What befell Niyazi-i Misri in the past is happening to Fethullah Gülen now | |||
| EKREM DUMANLI |  |
||
| When a call for fairness and reason finds acceptance | |||
| ŞAHİN ALPAY |  |
||
| Uludere, test case for democracy in Turkey | |||
| EMRE USLU |  |
||
| Are the Kurds mentally divorced from Turkey? | |||
| GÖKHAN BACIK |  |
||
| Erdoğan, Gül and Davutoğlu: the inner bargain on Turkish foreign policy | |||
| MARKAR ESAYAN |  |
||
| Taking lessons from previous experiences with the military | |||
| YAVUZ BAYDAR |  |
||
| Qualm | |||
| ÖMER TAŞPINAR |  |
||
| A new phase in Syria? | |||
| İHSAN DAĞI |  |
||
| Turkish foreign policy: Time for a re-evaluation | |||
| SEYFETTİN GÜRSEL |  |
||
| Poor-friendly economic growth and the AK Party | |||
| CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON |  |
||
| Missing women, missing opportunities | |||
| BERK ÇEKTİR |  |
||
| Changes to incentives for investment in Turkey | |||
| MERVE BÜŞRA ÖZTÜRK |  |
||
| The 1960 coup: a final test for democracy | |||
| AMANDA PAUL |  |
||
| Ukraine: a lost country | |||
| MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE |  |
||
| The 52nd anniversary of May 27 | |||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
