Eti Bakır A.Ş., a subsidiary of Cengiz Holding, is trying to open a gold-silver mine in the Atalan neighborhood of Tepebaşı district and Alpagut neighborhood of Mihalgazi district in Eskişehir. Democratic mass organizations and ecologists in Eskişehir have established a "No Mine Platform" and are organizing various actions and events against the mine. Sadık Yurtman, Chair of Eskişehir Environmental Protection and Development Association (ESÇEVDER), one of the components of the No Mine Platform, spoke about the destruction that the mine site will cause in the region.  

 

CYANIDE METHOD

 

Yurtman shared the information that the 862-page Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) file prepared by Cengiz Holding for the mine site was reviewed and approved within 5 days. Yurtman stated that the EIA dossier included the information that work will be carried out for 15 years in the area determined as 2,740 hectares and that 12 million tons of excavation is targeted each year. Yurtman also drew attention to the fact that the mine aims to extract gold and silver through open pit mining and cyanide leaching. 

 

Yurtman said: "When we examine the EIA file, we are astonished. So much so that they stated that there are 28 endemic plant species, 61 vertebrate species and 128 bird species in their EIA file. Normally, when there was only one endemic plant, this EIA file would be thrown out of court. Here, 28 endemic species are mentioned, which is their determination. Normally, these are the evidences that we should find and use in the courts when a lawsuit is filed for the cancellation of the EIA file. But they have mentioned these in their EIA files."

 

'IT MAY CAUSE MORE DAMAGE THAN LI·CI·K'

 

Yurtman stated that the land planned for the establishment of the mine site is 340 meters high at the lowest point and 1,285 meters high at the highest point, and that the slope of the site is 40 percent, which is 3-5 times higher than the slope of the Çöpler gold mine site in the Licik (İliç) district of Erzîngan. On February 13, 2024, 9 people lost their lives in the accident that occurred when the soil pile stored after the cyanide leaching process turned into a landslide in the Çöpler gold mine in the İliç district of Erzîngan. Yurtman said: "When the data is in this direction, it brings to mind that it may cause more damage and landslides may be more than in İliç. Likewise, there is the Sakarya River 4 kilometers away. The cyanide that will mix underground with the explosions at the mine site will also mix into the Sakarya River. It will poison the stream beds there and darken the future of the Sakarya Region, which has a microclimate feature."

 

'IT WILL BE TURKEY'S HANDICAP IN TERMS OF FOOD'

 

Yurtman said that in some periods, crops are harvested every month in the area planned as a mining site, which means that it is a fertile area for agriculture. Stating that agriculture and animal husbandry will be negatively affected if cyanide is mixed into the soil in the area, "If the mine site is established, the Sakarya Valley will be completely destroyed. The Sakarya River, which will be mixed with cyanide, is a region extending to Bilecik, Adapazarı and the Black Sea. If cyanide is mixed, that water will not be used anywhere.  The fruits and vegetables in the Sakarya Valley will not be sold anywhere. Even if they try to sell it, no one will buy it. If this region, which supplies 20 percent of Turkey, is completely destroyed, it will be a handicap for Turkey in terms of food" he said.  

 

'A FAULT LINE PASSES UNDER THE MINE SITE'

 

Noting that a fault line also passes under the planned mining site, Yurtman said: "This is clearly written in the EIA report. They are very sure of themselves. But we are also very sure of ourselves. We have fought against mining sites and thermal power plants before, and we will do our best to prevent Cengiz Holding from entering Eskişehir for the Public Information Meeting that the mining company has announced for August 15th. In August, we are waiting for the local people and all institutions and organizations that will protect their nature in Atalan. We call on you to defend our land, air and water by attending the meeting."

 

MA / Hivda Çelebi