Cengiz Holding sets its sights on Arhavi: Citizens of Artvin rise up against mining project

Eti Bakır A.Ş., owned by Cengiz Holding, won the mining exploration tender in Arhavi on July 27 for 5 million TL.

Citizens of Artvin have risen up against the project, which is intended to be carried out on an area of 1,930 hectares covering 10 villages.

According to a report by BBC Türkçe, the people of Arhavi are concerned that mining activities will pollute water sources, destroy agricultural lands, and cause great damage to the ecosystem.

"JUST AS IN CERATTEPE, WE WILL NOT ALLOW MINING IN ARHAVI"

Stating that life in the region is already negatively affected by existing hydroelectric power plants and stone quarries, the people of Arhavi say they will not allow mining, just as they did in Cerattepe.

For weeks, the public has been organizing information meetings, protest demonstrations, and petition campaigns. On the other hand, local residents are worried that heavy metals that will be released or used in mining activities will negatively affect the entire ecosystem.

Hazım Kurdoğlu, Honorary President of the Pilarget Nature and Life Association, says that the company could start drilling operations at this stage:

“Even the interventions they make during the drilling phase will harm nature. In this region, where there is constant rainfall and streams, even the heavy metals in the soil that will be brought up by drilling will pollute our water and soil without the need for any chemical processing.”

From now on, the licensing and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process will begin for the project.

‘IT WILL NOT BE LIMITED TO 10 VILLAGES’

The people of Arhavi are worried that tea farming, their main source of livelihood, will be damaged because of the mine.

Kurdoğlu says that the tendered area consists of both residential and agricultural lands:

“Tea farming is the lifeblood of this region, its largest source of income. All our agricultural activities, especially tea farming, will be negatively affected by the mine.

All the villages of Arhavi are residential areas located just below the plateaus and state forests. The area where they want to build the mine is both our residential and agricultural land.

“Years ago, when the first stream rehabilitation projects, HPPs, and the Green Road project began, we said that these would be followed by others and would serve as infrastructure for mines. Unfortunately, we are now facing this reality.”

According to Kurdoğlu, the project will not be limited to the designated area and will spread to the districts of Hopa and Fındıklı, which have dense mining fields.

Stating that the local people are very determined to oppose the mine, Kurdoğlu said, “Otherwise, life here will end, and the villages will be forced to empty.”

‘A UNIQUE REGION IN TERMS OF ENDEMIC DIVERSITY’

Artvin has a rare nature in terms of its rich flora and biological diversity, as well as the endemic species it hosts.

However, according to data obtained from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources by the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA), 71% of Artvin and 80% of Arhavi have been designated as “mining operation, tender, and exploration license areas.”

Fazlı Zoraloğlu from the Pilarget Nature and Life Association said that all stages of mining activities, including drilling, will poison the ecosystem by polluting soil and water resources with heavy metals.

Emphasizing that this situation will negatively affect not only the vegetation but all living things and that the ecological balance will be irreversibly disrupted, Zoraloğlu stated, “It is a unique region in terms of endemic species diversity and natural life. Bringing heavy machinery here and opening it up as a mining area is a complete massacre.”

‘THE TENDER PROCESS WAS NOT CONDUCTED TRANSPARENTLY’

The people of Arhavi stated that the tender organized by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources was not conducted transparently.

Zoraloğlu says that there is no information about where the drilling will take place in the tender area covering 10 villages:

“Because the tender was not held in a transparent manner. Other bids submitted for the tender or files regarding the operations to be carried out in the region are not open to the public.”

Stating that they will apply to the judiciary to access this data, Zoraloğlu notes that they have initiated a legal process against the cancellation of the tender.

NO RESPONSE FROM THE MINISTRY TO QUESTIONS

The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources did not respond to questions asked regarding the tender process.

The company, on the other hand, did not respond to our questions regarding its activities in the region until the news was published.

THE COMPANY IS NOW IN ARHAVI AFTER CERATTEPE

One of the most important examples of the environmental movement was seen in the Cerattepe district of Artvin.

In 2012, Eti Bakır A.Ş., also owned by Cengiz Holding, received permission to conduct mining in Cerattepe.

In Artvin, the public, environmental defenders, and non-governmental organizations organized many intense protests and actions.

In February 2016, mining activities began in Cerattepe.

Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces during the protests held in Artvin, and many people were detained.

In May, the Constitutional Court issued a “violation of rights” ruling regarding an individual application made against the EIA report issued for mining activities in Cerattepe.

Subsequently, the Rize Administrative Court also canceled the positive EIA decision on July 22, based on the Constitutional Court's violation of rights ruling.