The hot and humid weather, along with the smell of garbage, has turned their lives into a torment

The wastewater allegedly discharged into the stream from the solid waste integrated and disposal facility in the Taşönü neighborhood of Araklı district in Trabzon has caused an outcry among local residents. Residents have stated that the wastewater released into the stream, along with hot weather and humidity, emits terrible odors into the environment, and they expect the problem to be resolved as soon as possible.

Recently, with the rainfall in the area, the Yanbolu stream has drawn attention due to the accumulation of garbage. The headman of Taşönü neighborhood, Burhan Çebi, stated, “Despite being warned multiple times due to the waste facility, they are still discharging treated water into the stream. This discharge occurs sometimes at night and sometimes during the day, but this situation persists. The reason this water flows down the Yanbolu stream to Yeşilyalı is due to this wastewater. They claimed this area would be a recreation area and that there would be no odor. Promises made have not been kept. The population of my village is currently 550-600. We have neighboring villages that are also very close, and if we include them, this number could reach 3000 people. In Yeşilçe, in the villages of Arsin, and in the villages of Araklı, this odor sometimes even reaches as far as the center of Araklı,” he said.

Çebi noted that these wastewaters reach the sea through the Yanbolu Stream and that the sea is being polluted as well. “Those who enter the sea at the end of the Yanbolu Stream are contracting various infectious diseases. I attribute this situation to that. Our childhood was spent in these streams, and we have never heard of such things until now. We have never heard of anyone getting germs from the sea. Unfortunately, due to this waste, such things have started to happen here. Complaints have always been made, not only by me but also by previous headmen and prominent local figures. However, no results have been achieved. Authorities say it will get better, but nothing has improved here. They told me it would be resolved in three months, and now we are entering the fifth month; there was a brief period when the smell seemed to stop, but now my phone doesn’t stop ringing. The villagers are disturbed by this situation, and even residents from neighboring villages are calling me, saying there is a terrible smell. We are tired and fed up with saying this. As a result, no government institution has come here to check properly. When the wind is strong, the smell spreads here. When there is a little rain and fog forms, this place is engulfed in odor. Citizens call me saying they can’t open their windows, and neighboring villages report the same. They need to put a stop to this.”