Agricultural land now belongs to Limak
Having taken over Haymana in Ankara with its concrete plants and mining projects, Limak has received seven EIA approvals in 12 years. With the latest decision, the company will turn a forest and agricultural area the size of 5,700 football fields into a desert.
Gökay Başcan
Limak Holding has seized the forest and agricultural lands in Haymana, Ankara through mining projects. Since 2012, the company has received seven environmental impact assessment (EIA) approvals for starting and expanding limestone quarries. With the latest decision, 407 hectares, equivalent to 5,700 football fields have been opened up for use.
The mine, located within the borders of Türkşerefli in Haymana and Babayakup in Polatlı, is bordered by the Güvenli Stream, while the Susuz Stream runs through its centre, along with other unnamed seasonal streams.
Limak Çimento, a subsidiary of Limak Holding, has effectively taken over the area to supply raw materials to its cement plant in Polatlı. Having initiated activities in 2012, Limak Çimento has obtained EIA approval for a total of seven capacity expansion projects, one of which was a revision. With the latest positive EIA decision, the company has increased the mine’s annual capacity to 3.5 million tonnes.
Of the total 407 hectares where the limestone quarry operates, 284.41 hectares are forest, 70.8 hectares are pasture, 18.53 hectares are farmland, and the rest is classified as barren land.
The area where the project is implemented includes plots designated by the Directorate of National Real Estate for reforestation and allocated to the forestry authority. The importance of the land for agriculture is also acknowledged in the company’s EIA file: “Dry farming is mainly practised in the agricultural areas surrounding the project site, with barley and wheat cultivation playing a significant role.”
Moreover, according to the 2022–2023 Hunting Map, the project area lies within the “Haymana Durutlar General Hunting Ground.” It also overlaps with a high-voltage line zone belonging to the TEİAŞ General Directorate, between Temelli and the Polatlı Cement Area. The company stated in its EIA file that a protocol will be signed with TEİAŞ regarding this matter.
Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Tarım arazileri artık Limak’ın, published in BirGün newspaper on May 16, 2025.
