Reactions continue in Göcek

Göcek residents stated that this area cannot be used for swimming due to the presence of an old chrome mine loading site and a marina with many yachts, boats, and motor yachts.

Göcek Neighborhood Headman Fahri Ugan said that the area arranged as a public beach in the Kumburnu Region has not been sufficiently examined in terms of seawater quality, infrastructure deficiencies, and environmental risks, and they want this area to remain as it is.

Göcek Neighborhood Headman Fahri Ugan said, “In the facility made by the Coastal Management and Environmental Protection Joint Stock Company in our district Göcek Neighborhood Kumburnu Region, the toilets and showers present but not yet in use have underground and leaky drainage, and as is known by all of us, the sewage system on the coastal band in Göcek creates problems due to the level difference in the connections to the treatment plant. For this reason, MUSKİ frequently sends vacuum trucks to pump wastewater from the town center. This creates unsightly images that do not suit Göcek, which has become a brand in tourism.

IT WILL INCREASE SEA POLLUTION

There are toilets and showers built by the municipality about 100 meters close to the newly built ones in the Kumburnu area. When the new ones are used, they will create environmental pollution and increase the amount of waste going into the sea and sea pollution due to the mixing of rain drains and sewage pipes in some places along the coastal band. The area designated as a beach is located between two marinas in Kumburnu, so it will always cause complaints due to accidental and future pollution coming from here.

Also, the seabed in front of the mentioned public beach is filled with chromium mine waste. It is said that the chromium mine contains radioactive material, but no measurement has been made yet.

NO ONE HAS SWUM HERE FOR 30-40 YEARS

Moreover, the sign named Public Beach, designated as a beach by the Ministry, is misleading and even gives visitors the impression that the seawater quality is clean and under control. However, those living in Göcek know that no one has swum here for 30-40 years, and those who accidentally enter have had to go to the health center due to allergic reasons.

According to the Community Health Center of the Provincial Health Directorate, responsible for measuring the quality of seawater for bathing, the water analysis of the mentioned area has not been performed. According to the Bathing Water Quality Regulation, opening the beach to service without necessary checks also brings responsibility to the Authorities. Therefore, it has become essential to present this situation to you.

For the reasons mentioned above, until the necessary measurements for radioactivity and water quality are made and it is determined that the area meets sufficient criteria, the public beach sign should be urgently removed to prevent misunderstanding by the public.

The beach needs of the Göcek public are met by İnlice Beach, D-Marin Beach, and Rixos Hotel beach, all within the boundaries of our neighborhood.” he said.

REACTIONS FROM TOURISM PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC

Tourism professionals and citizens attending the meeting held for reaction supported Headman Fahri Ugan's statement, opposing the attempt to commercialize this area.

It is also claimed that the area designated as a Public Beach by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change's Coastal Management and Environmental Protection JSC has been leased to Delassa Food and Beverage Limited.