- Tweeter
republish
Green activists and opposition politicians denounce a vast gold mining project in western Turkey. According to them, this project carried by the Turkish subsidiary of a Canadian company would cause an environmental and sanitary disaster. Thousands of people protested Monday, August 5 at the mine site.
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer
Since July 26, dozens stand guard in tents near the village of Kirazli, at the foot of Mount Ida (Kazdaglari in Turkish). A " vigil for water and conscience ", claim these environmentalists, joined Monday by several thousand opponents for a rally unprecedented in this forest region of western Anatolia.
The mining project they denounce is carried by the company Dogu Biga, Turkish subsidiary of the Canadian company Alamos Gold. The environmentalists, backed by several mayors and opposition MPs, are accusing the project of destroying a rich ecosystem that has been preserved so far.
Supporting satellite images, they argue that bulldozers have already torn four times more trees than expected - 195,000 against 46,000 - what the mining company denies.
Opponents also warn against a health disaster related to the use of cyanide to extract gold from this mine. A common method in this type of extraction, but which may pollute the soil and waterways of the inhabitants of this region located near the Dardanelles Strait.
On the internet, a petition calling for an immediate halt to work has already crossed the threshold of 375,000 signatures.