May 10, 2006 The bosses at the leather production zones are notorious for their low wages, barbaric work conditions and their attacks against the unions similar to TV’s mafia series. Now they are also known for risking the future of the planet by their destructive environmental practices. A recent article by İsmail Saymaz in the […]
May 10, 2006
The bosses at the leather production zones are notorious for their low wages, barbaric work conditions and their attacks against the unions similar to TV’s mafia series. Now they are also known for risking the future of the planet by their destructive environmental practices.
A recent article by İsmail Saymaz in the Radikal daily exposes the massive attack against the environment by these bosses:
108 leather factories out of 118 bury their toxic byproducts in the land used for agriculture and stockbreeding. Authorities are helpless. Çorlu creek is dying.
Only few days after dumpsters filled with poisonous materials were found in Tuzla, it was revealed that the businesses in the Leather Production Zone in Tekirdağ, a north western city, were burying their toxins under the agricultural pastures. The mayor said, “They bury the poison in order not to pay the 100 YTL ($80.00) fee to the local government.”
118 leather factories and a paper recycling plant constitute only 1/8th of the total plants in the region. In the leather processing plants built around the Çorlu creek, leather from 25 million sheep and 50 million cattle is being processed. The zone, that processes 37% of all leather production employs around 10,000 workers and generates 40-50 tons of byproducts daily.
The article by İsmail Saymaz exposes that the leather businesses illegally dump their toxic byproducts to wherever they find to prevent paying the transportation fee.
While the stench of the toxins is unbearable, some farmers have accepted to bury the poisons in their land for some kickbacks. Animals graze on the toxic material and agricultural activity occurs on or around these premises.
Other farmers and land owners complain that usually the trucks sneak in at night and dump flammable materials in their property and disappear. Police and Gendarmerie have been notified, but they are unable to prevent the dumping.
The land owners sometimes catch the trucks and they rough up the drivers but the practice goes on. A farmer complained that he lost 12 sheep that grazed in the area.
Another farmer who grows vegetables says the land is covered with garbage 3 meters deep and the leaves of his vegetables are drying up due to the poisonous material dumped secretly to his property.
Condensed from Radikal Daily.
MB.