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Authorities give green light to quarry near Lake Belevi in Turkey's west
Authorities give green light to quarry near Lake Belevi in Turkey's west
The authorities have given the green light to a plan to establish a quarry near Lake Belevi in the western province of İzmir, Demirören News Agency reported on Nov. 15. Click through for the story in photos...
Lake Belevi, which was declared a wetland in 2003 under the Ramsar Convention, is home to 26 bird species, including flamingoes, seagulls and mallards, as well as 12 fish species such as mirror carp, and eel. The İzmir Governorship has ruled that the environmental impact assessment report is not necessary for the proposed quarry.
According to the General Directorate of Mining Affairs, the quarry facility is within the borders of the Torbalı district while the project file for the proposed quarry will be located on the borders of the districts of Tire, Torbalı and Bayındır. Lake Belevi lies within the districts of Tire and Selçuk.
The company that will establish the quarry facility plans to extract some 400,000 tons of limestone from the field annually. For this operation, the company will detonate explosives on 60 different spots. Dynamite will be used in the field once every 10 days and 2,200 kilograms of explosives will be detonated each time.
The company has said it will seek the necessary permission from the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture before the facility becomes operational. The planned quarry is also close cultivated areas and the famous Belevi Mausoleum dating back to 301 BC.
The environmental protection department at the İzmir municipality has studied the project and penned a report. The report warned that mining activities in the area may adversely affect vegetation, calling for measures to protect the environment. Photos: Alamy Stock Photo
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