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News National |
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Pollution in Salt Lake threatens its ecosystem
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The world’s third largest salt reserve, Salt Lake, in Konya, is in imminent danger because of industrial and residential pollution.
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According to the Environment and Forestry Ministry, every year 944 tons of detergent, 90 tons of oil, 1,500 tons of organic material and 276 tons of metal are released into the lake, threatening the body of water as well as the flamingos that live near it. Studies show that the number of flamingos in the region has decreased. Twenty years ago, there was an estimated 20,000 flamingos; in 2005 that number dropped to 12,000 and in 2006 to only 11,000. A project to protect the lake from pollution is expected to be completed in one-and-a-half years. Until the project is complete, the pollution will increase and natural resources will face an even greater threat, according to the ministry. World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) representative in Turkey and head of the Natural Life Protection Association and Water Resources Program Çağrı Deniz Eryılmaz said thousands of tons of pollution are leaked into the lake by households and industries in Konya, Aksaray, Kulu, Şereflikoçhisar, Cihanbeyli and Eskil. For years, homeowners and business-owners were not subject to purification rules. Eryılmaz said, “Once the facilities for purification are complete, foreign materials will no longer pollute Salt Lake.”
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ÜNAL LIVANELI
KONYA
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