Sea Water Quality Increases in Bursa

The Metropolitan Municipality, which has implemented important infrastructure investments in order to produce radical solutions to the mucilage problem, which came to the fore as an environmental disaster in the Marmara Sea last year, passes 85% of domestic wastewater in Bursa through advanced biological treatment and 6% biological treatment. The Metropolitan Municipality is going to a new tender of 31,5 million Euros for the treatment plants in order to further increase the sea water quality in Bursa.

Mucilage, which started to appear on the shores of the Marmara Sea in March last year; It negatively affected the coasts of Yalova, Izmit Bay, Çanakkale and Balikesir, as well as the Gemlik and Mudanya coasts of Bursa. A 7-item emergency action plan was prepared at the meeting attended by the Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum and the governors, mayors and directors of the relevant institutions of the 22 provinces that have a coast on the Marmara Sea. While significant progress has been made in the fight against mucilage under the control of the Ministry, no mucilage has yet been found on the coasts of Bursa this year. In order to completely eliminate the risk of mucilage, which has emerged as a result of not only today's but also accumulated problems of years, the quality of sea water must first be increased.

Bursa is the luckiest city

While there are many factors affecting the deterioration of seawater quality, advanced biological treatment of domestic wastewater is also of great importance in the fight against mucilage. In Bursa, which has a 125 km coast to the Sea of ​​Marmara, thanks to the infrastructure and treatment facilities that have been implemented with an investment of 400 million TL to date, 85% of the domestic wastewater in the city is advanced biologically and 6 percent is streams after biological treatment. is released into the sea by a lake and deep discharge. Thanks to the advanced biological treatment plants established with the investments made in the last 4-5 years, elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus are purified at a rate of 90 percent. In terms of domestic wastewater treatment, Bursa is in the luckiest position among the provinces that have a coast on the Marmara Sea.

31,5 million Euro new investment

While domestic wastewater in 14 districts of Bursa is treated in 14 treatment plants, 16 of which are advanced biological; Treatment plant investments in Harmancık, Keles and Büyükorhan counties continue. Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, which is not satisfied with the advanced biological treatment of 85% of the domestic wastewater in the city, is preparing to start new investments of approximately 31,5 million Euros in order to further increase the quality of sea water. With this investment, it is planned to increase the capacity of the existing İznik, Orhangazi and Orhaneli treatment plants, to construct a new treatment plant on the Yeniköy coast of Karacabey district and to rehabilitate the pre-treatment units of the Eastern Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Strong infrastructure, healthy future

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Alinur Aktaş stated that a tender will be made soon for the planned new investment, and said that they want to further strengthen the infrastructure of Bursa with the investments made by BUSKI. Stating that the production of sewerage and rain water lines in Mustafakemalpaşa, Karacabey and İnegöl districts continues on one side, President Alinur Aktaş said, “These investments have been made in Bursa for years. Our main goal is to leave a healthier city to future generations with its air, water and soil. The mucilage issue came to the fore, and eyes turned to the Sea of ​​Marmara. Marmara is an inland sea, a closed basin. One of the smallest seas in the world. At this point, every individual and every city has responsibilities. I think we have fulfilled our responsibilities as the Metropolitan Municipality. Because we still process 85% of domestic wastewater through advanced biological treatment. With the commissioning of the new investments we will make, we will raise this figure much higher.”