ISTANBUL, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Experts warn that Türkiye's Thrace region, once renowned for its fertile farmlands, faces devastating environmental and economic consequences of rapid industrialization.
Thrace, the European part of the country, known for its diverse agricultural output like cereals, vegetables, fruits, tobacco, sunflower seeds and wine, plays a key role in both domestic consumption and export markets of Türkiye.
Meanwhile, covering merely 3 percent of Türkiye's land area, the region is also home to nearly a quarter of its population and the industrial heartland with a significant concentration of factories around the Sea of Marmara.
The Ergene River, once vital for Thrace's agriculture, is now heavily polluted, making it unusable for irrigation.
Amid industrial pollution, a deep-sea discharge system was launched in 2020 to discharge treated wastewater from the Ergene River Basin into the Sea of Marmara. The system extends about 4.5 km offshore, with wastewater discharged at a depth of 47 meters.
Still, experts painted a grim future for Thrace, saying current measures have not fully addressed the pollution.
"Farmers and producers here cannot compete with the industrial sector. Every day, we are losing ground," Halim Orta, a professor with the faculty of agriculture at Tekirdag Namik Kemal University, told Xinhua in an interview.
"In Tekirdag alone, 3,280 factories contribute significantly to pollution, further straining agricultural lands already burdened by the impacts of climate change," Orta said.
Orta said the discharge system "is nearly impossible to completely treat industrial waste, as harmful substances, such as heavy metals and carcinogens, persist in the water."
"The situation requires immediate action," said Murat Kapikiran, head of the Istanbul Chamber of Agricultural Engineers, calling for establishing advanced biological treatment plants in all polluting industries and shifting to organic farming to curb chemical contamination of groundwater.
"Without scientific research and stricter regulations, harmful chemicals will continue to seep into groundwater, threatening both public health and agricultural productivity," he added.
"The Ergene River has effectively turned into a waste conduit, with the Corlu branch bearing the brunt of the damage," Murat Sevgi, chairman of the Environmental and Health Commission of the City Council in Corlu, Tekirdag Province, commented in a recent media report.
With numerous industrial plants lining the river, the government must take immediate action, Sevgi said. ■
