Aliağa in the shadow of smoke and death

Located in the north of İzmir, Aliağa is rapidly transforming into a heavy industry hub. Once a small town, Aliağa's population grew from 2,860 in 1960 to 37,537 in 2000, and reached 106,168 as of 2023. However, this rapid growth has brought serious environmental problems along with it.

The city is home to some of Turkey's largest industrial facilities.

The TÜPRAŞ Oil Refinery owned by KOÇ Holding, the PETKİM Petrochemical Facility owned by the Azerbaijan-based SOCAR, İzmir Demir Çelik, HABAŞ, Ege Çelik, SOCAR's new oil refinery, the Enka Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant, the İzdemir Power Plant, the İzmir Aliağa Natural Gas Cycle Power Plant, and ship dismantling facilities are just a few of the industrial establishments operating in the region.

Such intense industrialization has made environmental pollution inevitable.

According to the 2022 İzmir Environmental Status report by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Aliağa is the district with the highest industrial air pollution in Turkey.

ALARMING MEASUREMENT RESULTS

The İzmir Development Agency (İZKA), affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, conducted air quality measurements at the Bozköy Measurement Station in Aliağa between August 2021 and September 2024.

The measurements, which lasted 1,355 days, revealed alarming results.

The amount of pollutants measured in the air was determined to be an average of 43.8 micrograms per 1 m³ of air. This value exceeded Turkey's national limits for 410 days and the World Health Organization (WHO) limits for 511 days. In other words, those living in Aliağa are breathing toxic air every 3.3 to 3.7 days.

According to experts, these pollution levels can lead to many serious health problems, ranging from respiratory diseases to cancer. It is believed that many people living in the city are falling ill, and that this situation is even causing deaths.

Environmentalists and local residents are reacting against the air pollution caused by industrial facilities. Citizens are demanding stricter inspections and measures to protect the environment.