TDN
Mugla's Fethiye is an area of utmost beauty renowned for its idyllic coastline. Inland scattered on the sides of the mountains are many villages all famous for their particular best grown produce or with reputations for handicraft. Just 20 kilometers inland the small town of Yesil Uzumlu, famous for its grapes and for making "Dastar" - a fine, handmade cloth of cotton or silk - nestles under the ancient city of Cadianda to one side of a large natural valley and opposite the small villages of Sahil Koru Koy and Incirkoy.
Some time ago a company bought land in the village of Koru Koy. A stone quarry was opened and, apparently under mining rights, more land was rented from the forestry department, so that now a huge 200,000 square meter scar is replacing mature pine trees overlooking this previously beautiful valley where in springtime the soft pink of the almond blossoms heralds the change of season.
In recent years attracted by the peace and relative quiet of the pastoral setting and the cooler clean air of the higher altitude, Turkish families who work abroad, English and Germans have chosen to settle here bringing increased wealth to the area. Of course this also attracted the developers and perhaps too many houses are springing up where none were before, a course that until now seemed likely to continue until Ye#351;il Uzumlu really would merit its council and town status.
Back to the stone quarry, this eyesore in paradise is particularly bad for &Incirköy as the blasting raises dust in momentous proportions and the prevailing wind generally deposits this all over the village. But, suddenly, things have got a lot, lot worse. The quarrying company plans to build a cement factory and states that it already has the required permission. How can this be? Of all environmentally polluting industries, cement factories are the worst, their carbon footprint is the highest and Turkey already produces all the cement it needs.
Advertising of the project has been minimal and obscure, public consultation has so far comprised one small meeting in Koru Koy and backed up by the "convenience" of a newly paved access road and promise of employment was almost certainly economic with the aim to achieve the agreement it apparently obtained. None of the prevailing laws and regulations legitimately allows such industrialization in this rural area. One could speculate the reason is greed regardless of consequences, and one could ask whether corruption is lurking alongside the greed?
All this has served to arouse a robust and active protest group, signatures are being collected in their hundreds and the villagers of all areas are being informed of the realities of cement factories and the filth and devastation they can cause. One located here, would not only make Yesil Uzumlu, Incirkoy and even Koru extremely unhealthy places to live but would surely spoil nearby cherry production and even endanger the multiple fish farms just a few kilometers away, not to mention damage to the tourist trade. Another Yata#287;an is not needed in Mu#287;la province. The protest grows and organizes the sentiment to widen the target of "no cement factory," to also include restoration of the sorely wounded mountainside. How can this be allowed here, they say, when in a nearby village a subsistence farmer goes to prison for building a makeshift wooden shelter for his animals, on a barren treeless mountainside?
The protest group is currently canvassing the entire local and relevant authorities they can think of to inform them of their concerns and generally they are finding support. The shrugged shoulder of endemic fatalism illustrated by "well there is nothing we can do, ‘They' will do as they like, as always." is being challenged and actions that can be taken are being communicated with good effect. The group says, enough of this "under the carpet" "behind the doors" activity, let us see decisions being made and keep them accountable.
Does this company really want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg, because house sales will surely cease in the area or is the real plan to industrialize the area even further?
