Project sparks outrage in Turgutreis: Preparing for the end of regional tourism

The Coast Guard Port project planned for the Bahçelievler neighborhood of Turgutreis was first brought to the agenda approximately 5 years ago.

Representatives of various political parties and NGOs held numerous meetings, stating that the project was unsuitable for the region and would damage its ecological structure.

However, the tender for the Coast Guard Port was finalized after approximately 5 years. Work on the 141,319-square-meter port began as of today.

Heavy machinery and excavation trucks have arrived at the beach, and the coast is being excavated for the port entrance, with the extracted material being loaded onto trucks.

In a statement issued by TMMOB (Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects) and the City Council, it was emphasized that the project would cause great destruction and irreversible negative consequences for both the Turgutreis economy and the environment, and the following statements were included:

"Due to the fact that the area where the military port is intended to be built is shallow (average depth of 5 meters), the area will first be deepened by dredging approximately 250,000 m² of the seabed so that warships can dock here. Subsequently, a military port will be built by filling approximately 150,000 square meters of the dredged area.

A minimum of 50,000 truck trips will be organized to fill an area of this volume. It is not possible for the region to handle this volume of excavation truck traffic.

There is no vehicle road in the area where the port is intended to be built. The area in front of the Coast Guard Group Command building is a pedestrian path closed to traffic. The area where the military port is intended to be built is located in the Turgutreis Bahçelievler district, right in the middle of tourist facilities and residences. During the construction of the military port project, which is expected to take approximately 5 years, regional tourism and the local resident population will suffer serious harm.

Within a 1 km radius of the region, there is a marina, a sand-trapping spur fill area, and 28 four- and five-star hotels, apart-hotels, boutique hotels, and other accommodation facilities. The tourism bed capacity in the region is approximately 7,000. The military port is located in the middle of the only coastal point where tourists can walk from the hotel zone to the Turgutreis bazaar.

The military port to be built in this area will prepare the end of regional tourism. In the area where the military port is intended to be built, there is Posidonia Oceanica (Seagrass), which is under protection by the Barcelona Convention. It is an extremely important species in terms of creating a habitat for many living things. Building a military port in this area will cause irreversible damage to the natural marine habitat and ecosystem.

Since the area where the military port is intended to be built is a residential area consisting entirely of housing and tourism, a possible military operation will create intense noise and anxiety in the surroundings. In this region, which has a walking and coastal line, urban planning and historical texture will face serious damage with the military port that is intended to be implemented. The Turgutreis region is the most populous area of the peninsula, and if a military port is built, it will become unusable"...

Journalist Ferda Öngün, who filmed the construction and excavation work in Bodrum Turgutreis, drew attention to the destruction caused by the start of the Turgutreis Coast Guard Command Military Port Project. Öngün stated: "Our state, whose borders are riddled with holes, has decided to protect a place. It has decided to build a military port here. They are going to protect one of Turkey's most beautiful beaches by building a military port on it. Unfortunately, just as we could not protect anywhere else, we could not protect Turgutreis either. Despite all the EIA reports, construction has begun"...

Despite all warnings and EIA reports, the Coast Guard Port project has been implemented in Turgutreis, one of the most beautiful areas of Bodrum.

Heavy machinery has begun work on the site for the project, which carries the risk of disrupting the region's ecological balance. pic.twitter.com/VgZQuYjAvD

— 12punto (@12puntocomtr) December 19, 2024

News Source: 12punto