Undrinkable Water in Ankara

[SuperBogs]

Seen this the other day and couldn't believe it happened. Is there any hope, really!!!

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


Ankara residents have been consuming contaminated water from Kızılırmak River for the past three weeks, but are unaware of it, the capital's mayor told a press conference Wednesday.

“Ankara citizens have been drinking water brought from Kızılırmak River for the last 21 days and they didn't notice any difference in the taste. Bon appetit!” Melih Gökçek said.

The municipality insisted on transporting water from the Kızılırmak despite warnings by experts who said the river is dangerously contaminated and that it cannot be purified with the existing technology. The said the water is "undrinkable."

Referring to why he waited so long to announce that Ankara was consuming water from Kızılırmak River, Gökçek said “I apologize for following such a way. If I announced it earlier, some organizations and political parties would hold meetings where they would claim that the number of the diarrhea cases has increased. I am now happy that I destroyed their plans.”

“Some may say that the effects of the water can be observed some months later. A mayor should be a betrayer if he gives undrinkable water to his people,” he said.

Gökçek said the main problem with the water is the high sulfate parameters. The municipality plans to blend Kızılırmak's water with clean water. Experts maintain, however, that it is an unhygienic solution given the fact that Kızılırmak's water is chemically polluted.

While experts consider Gökçek's late announcement "unethical," Çankaya Mayor Muzaffer Eryılmaz said in a written statement released yesterday that Gökçek is responsible for all types of water-related health problems.

“This kind of a situation can't be seen in any developed country of the world. What Gökçek did is an insult to a human beings and Ankara. What and why do you hide?” he said.

“It is a typical attitude of Gökçek who make people drink water the problems of which are unknown, and to explain it with irrational excuse while ignoring scientific criteria

 

[bobthenob]

The city of Ankara,has a water shortage problem,where l saw on the news a couple of months ago,the reservoirs are at a capacity of only 4%,and is running dry.So l suppose the mayor didn’t want to cause any panic in the contamination of the water in the river,because of the scarcity of the reservoirs.
As the city grows,so does the demand for water,and also if not properly managed enviourmentally,the water becomes undrinkable for human consumption,leaving the area in a state of crisis.So where does all the water go,when we have the winter rains.You will find quite a volume of this rain will run off the hard baked lands that occurred during the summer months,and into the sea.And also if the infrastructure is not there to capture this water,to supply the demand,then a crisis will loom.Ankara is a heavily developed industrialized city,that keeps on growing,but the water supply keeps on depleting.Examples on manufacturing consumption of water is huge,to produce just one pound of paper,you will need 700pds of water,the production of steel,you will need 280 tons of water for every ton of steel manufactured,etc.
When the rising demand for industry is needed,then the rivers,can become contaminated by illegally dumping the waste in the rivers,where the locals used to drink out of,still thinking that its clean.So it could’ve been,cyclelogical, for the locals to think its clean,when in fact it isn’t,because they have been drinking out of this river for decades.The depletion of the waters,is further aggravated by,the ongoing industries of fertilizers,and chemicals.Once these water sorces have become contaminated by the attitudes of mismanagement,then it’s a long and costly,and sometimes even to late to remedy the problem,to take the appropriate measures to make the area clean again.

 

[SuperBogs]

The city of Ankara,has a water shortage problem,where l saw on the news a couple of months ago,the reservoirs are at a capacity of only 4%,and is running dry.So l suppose the mayor didn’t want to cause any panic in the contamination of the water in the river,because of the scarcity of the reservoirs.
As the city grows,so does the demand for water,and also if not properly managed enviourmentally,the water becomes undrinkable for human consumption,leaving the area in a state of crisis.So where does all the water go,when we have the winter rains.You will find quite a volume of this rain will run off the hard baked lands that occurred during the summer months,and into the sea.And also if the infrastructure is not there to capture this water,to supply the demand,then a crisis will loom.Ankara is a heavily developed industrialized city,that keeps on growing,but the water supply keeps on depleting.Examples on manufacturing consumption of water is huge,to produce just one pound of paper,you will need 700pds of water,the production of steel,you will need 280 tons of water for every ton of steel manufactured,etc.
When the rising demand for industry is needed,then the rivers,can become contaminated by illegally dumping the waste in the rivers,where the locals used to drink out of,still thinking that its clean.So it could’ve been,cyclelogical, for the locals to think its clean,when in fact it isn’t,because they have been drinking out of this river for decades.The depletion of the waters,is further aggravated by,the ongoing industries of fertilizers,and chemicals.Once these water sorces have become contaminated by the attitudes of mismanagement,then it’s a long and costly,and sometimes even to late to remedy the problem,to take the appropriate measures to make the area clean again.

I agree and underdstand with what your saying Bob. What I don't agree with is the Mayors decision to put millions at risk of serious illness or death. Tell people that the water is not suitable to drink but fine as "working water". They can buy bottled water for drinking and cooking

 

[shirleyanntr]

i would think theres more to this than the report...you cant just suddenly rig up water from a river into the domestic supply...surely...?
and if it was contaminated then its not suitable even for ''working water'...as that includes washing up ,bathing etc and so constitutes a risk.

 

[bobthenob]

[/QUOTE] What I don't agree with is the Mayors decision to put millions at risk of serious illness or death. Tell people that the water is not suitable to drink but fine as "working water". They can buy bottled water for drinking and cooking[/QUOTE]
This statement,l'm not clear off,but please correct me if l'm wrong.l never mentioned the mayor telling the people to drink this water.All l referred to was the people have been drinking this water for decades,while it was safe,but now is not suitable for drinking because of the contamination from the industrialized sites of manufactoring.And the mayor does not wish to cause any alarm to the situation,on how serious the water supply is in Ankara,so its best for the people not to know,l'm just guessing.
Quite a few Turkish people don't buy bottled water because of the cost,so they take the sorce from the rivers and boil it,l think.
Further up the river is a pure clean supply of water,totally uncontaminated,until it reaches the populated areas of human activity,that has no proper enviourmental management.Where,before the areas where, they have been taking this water from,was still clean,until the surrounding areas were heavily built with industry,and housing.Leaving that area that once was clean,contaminated.

 

[SuperBogs]

LOL....I never sayed you mentioned the mayor was telling people to drink the water Bob. I was saying regardless of the siruation it's not right for the mayor to make this decision. Boiling also does not make the water drinkable, it's all depends on whats in the water that makes it undrinkable. The article says the the water was untreatable also. It's just not right to not tell people that the water they are drinking could make them sick when they believe the water they are drinking is safe.