5th Environment and Natural Life Festival Held Against the Cement Factory in Deştin

In Deştin District, located in Muğla's Yatağan district, where citizens have been fighting against the integrated cement factory that has been wanted to be established in the region for nearly 30 years; “Deştin Environment and Natural Life Festival” was organized. The festival, which was organized for the fifth time this year with the support of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality, Yatağan Municipality, Deştin Environmental Platform and Muğla Environmental Platform (MUÇEP) Menteşe Assembly, started with a cortege march.

At the festival where Zeybek performances and folk songs were sung, Deştin Environment Platform Spokesperson Haluk Özsoy reminded that the EIA report was given again despite the EIAs canceled during the process, and said, "We had their EIAs canceled twice, but as long as we win, it probably doesn't count, the match is considered not over. I don't know if the referee is biased, but we will continue to win again and again. They will come again, we will win again. We will continue to resist together, just as we have resisted for 30 years. Here, "We will continue to resist in Ankara, on duty, in tents, here and there, in every field. There is one EIA initiative here right now, but there are many more EIA applications waiting in the queue that want this to be a precedent. Therefore, let's say they did this, with that precedent there will be seven or eight more EIA applications here. This place will no longer be a village area as you know, but will become an industrial area," he said. Özsoy emphasized that the cement factory will negatively affect the water resources in the region, and that the drinking water and agricultural water resources of Muğla and Yatağan may be damaged, and underlined that the struggle will continue.

MESUT GÜNAY: THE LEGAL STRUGGLE WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE END

Yatağan Mayor Mesut Günay said, "We are holding the festival with public support and the participation of the villages. Before I became the mayor, we all continued our struggle together with the environmental organization and the villagers at this point. The legal struggle will continue until the end and whatever is necessary will be determined to prevent it from happening."