Political ecology of pollution control failure in Ergene basin of thrace, Turkey

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the pollution control failure in the Ergene Basin as a specific example of environmental conservation failure. Taking the political ecology literature as a starting point, the power and politics influencing the pollution control efforts and their failure are addressed. Rapid industrialization in Ergene has started in the 1980s to relocate industrial facilities from Istanbul to Thrace. Thus, industrial density areas were generated. The neglect on water pollution control has resulted in increasing pollution levels. However, there have been public response and professional efforts to control pollution. In response to the reactions against heavy pollution, various steps have been taken to prevent pollution, but they have been insufficient leading to pollution control failure. To understand the causes of this pollution control failure, we investigated pollution control efforts of the local professionals and the central authorities starting from the plan making process to the implementation phase. Through desktop research of environmental plans and reports, site visits to the pollution havens and in-depth interviews with experts, academics, NGOs representatives, it is observed that: The neglect of environmental problems in the context of neoliberal development, the reluctance of the state to ensure environmental conservation policies, devolution of power from local to central authorities have played a crucial role in pollution. Thus, these factors point towards an environmental governance problem arising from the lack of participation mechanisms which lead to shifting the cost of pollution from polluters to the public and the nature through integrated treatment plants and deep sea discharge projects.