The last geotextile tubes have been laid in the 1st phase of the İzmit Bay Bottom Mud Cleaning Project. The 2023st phase of the “İzmit Bay Eastern Basin Bottom Mud Cleaning Project”, which started in 1 in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, is nearing the end. The last geotextile tubes have been laid within the scope of the 1st phase project, which is planned to be completed by the end of the year. At the end of the 3-stage project, a total of 468 million cubic meters of sludge will be disposed of from an area of 3,8 hectares. So far, 66 thousand truckloads of sludge have been removed from the marine ecosystem during the cleaning.
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THE METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY AND THE MINISTRY
Within the scope of the reports prepared in cooperation with the Metropolitan Municipality, TÜBİTAK-MAM and Istanbul University, it was determined that the amount of bottom mud that needed to be cleaned in an area of 468 hectares in the Eastern Basin of İzmit Bay was 3,8 million cubic meters in the first stage. The “Bottom Mud Cleaning Project Joint Cooperation Protocol” prepared between the Metropolitan Municipality and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change for the realization of Europe's largest environmental project was signed on August 28, 2022.
1.110 TUBE SLUDGE DRIED
Within the scope of the first phase of the Gulf of Izmit Bottom Mud Cleaning Project, which started on May 2, 2023 and is planned to be completed by the end of 2024, 1 million 125 thousand cubic meters of mud will be cleaned in 1 hectares. Within the scope of the project, the bottom mud removed from the Gulf of Izmit will be collected and dried in a total of 100 geotextile tubes. At the point the project has reached, the mud has been dried in 3.500 tubes. So far, 1.110 thousand trucks of mud have been removed from the marine ecosystem during the cleaning process.
2 HECTARES WILL BE CLEANED IN THE 165ND STAGE
Within the scope of the 2nd stage, which has started, it is aimed to clean 165 million 1 thousand cubic meters of mud in an area of 100 hectares. Following the 2026nd stage cleaning works, which are planned to be completed by the end of 2, the 3rd stage works will begin. After the completion of the project, it is expected that Izmit Bay will have the appearance of a clean aquarium in time.
