Three districts heading for disaster with three projects
The districts of Bigadiç, Balya and Karesi in Balıkesir are facing the risk of environmental disaster due to mining projects by three different companies. The projects are intertwined with active fault lines, forests are being cut down ‘in exchange for compensation,’ and groundwater is under threat from cyanide.
Balıkesir is boiling over. On one side is the insatiable appetite for production of mining companies, on the other is the anxiety of the people living with the risk of earthquakes. Zenit Madencilik, which wants to increase its gold and silver mining production capacity in Bigadiç by 83 times; Altınordu Madencilik, affiliated with Limak Holding, which plans to produce gold in Balya; and Koza Altın İşletmeleri, which wants to establish an open pit mine in Turplu Mahallesi in Karesi. Three different companies, three different districts, but the same scenario: companies searching for gold along the earthquake fault line.
For the Balya project, Altınordu Madencilik A.Ş., affiliated with Limak Holding, submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) application to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change on 13 December 2024. For the Karesi Turplu project, Koza Altın İşletmeleri A.Ş. prepared its review report on 11 April 2025. Initially, in 2017, a decision was made that an EIA was not required. However, this decision was revoked in 2022 due to a regulation that was no longer in force. For the Bigadiç Kızılçukur project, Zenit Madencilik submitted a capacity increase file to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change on 10 October 2025. All three projects are currently in the “review-evaluation” phase.
ACTIVE FAULT LINES
A technical review report prepared by CHP Balıkesir MP Serkan Sarı revealed that the projects in the three districts point to a common picture. According to the report, the mining sites are dangerously close to active fault lines. Forest and agricultural areas have been opened up to mining with permits issued in exchange for compensation. According to experts, this situation is no longer just a local environmental issue; it is a systematic mining policy that threatens Balıkesir's land, water, and future.
THEY ARE CUTTING WITH MONEY
Koza Altın plans to carry out 48 blasts in the Karesi Turplu project. The nearest settlement, Turplu Mahallesi, is only 2.3 kilometres away from the mine site. The project has no emergency or evacuation plan. Sarı said, ‘Blast mining can cause seismic triggering in active fault segments. This threatens not only the environment but also human life.’
Explosives will also be used in Zenit Madencilik's Bigadiç project, but the report does not include any vibration analyses. The Altınordu Madencilik project in Balya involves both underground and open-pit blasting. According to MTA data, the project area is 1.6 kilometres from the Şamlı Fault, 9.6 kilometres from the Havran-Balya Fault, and 19 kilometres from the Balıkesir Fault.
Koza Altın's 12.35-hectare project in Turplu is located on forest land. Article 16 of Forest Law No. 6831 stipulates that such activities must be carried out ‘with permission in exchange for a fee.’ According to Sarı, this amounts to ‘forest plundering under the guise of legality.’ The Zenit Madencilik project in Bigadiç is being carried out on a 94.6-hectare site, most of which is forest and agricultural land. The company plans to increase production from 30,000 tonnes to 2.5 million tonnes, an 83-fold increase in capacity.
WATER RESOURCES AT RISK
Limak Holding's project in Balya involves cyanide-based gold production on an area of 276.9 hectares. According to the EIA file, cyanide and chemicals will be used in the project. The leak-proofing measures for the waste storage facilities were found to be inadequate. Underground water analyses showed manganese and iron values above the standards.
The project area is located 58 metres from Karanlık Dere and 1.78 kilometres from drinking water sources. Sarı said, ‘Blasting production at such a close distance puts Balıkesir's drinking water at risk.’
An investigation in Turplu identified 127 bird and 42 mammal species. These species include protected animals such as the golden eagle and the spotted weasel. The EIA report stated that ‘volatile species flee’. Sarı responded to this, saying, ‘This is a non-scientific defence. No species would remain in an area where blasting has been carried out for two years.’ It was reported that flora and fauna surveys in the Balya and Bigadiç areas were conducted within narrow time frames, disregarding seasonal variability.
None of the three projects include a post-mining rehabilitation plan. Although the report on Turplu stated that ‘the topsoil will be replaced,’ no ecological restoration criteria were defined. Although the Balya project stated that ‘the site closure will take three years,’ it was found that this process only covered technical activities and that no independent monitoring and transparent reporting mechanism was defined.
CHP member Serkan Sarı summarised the situation as follows: ‘The same picture is seen across Balıkesir. Forests, agricultural lands, and water resources are targets of exploitation. Each mine poses a separate risk, but when considered together, Balıkesir is under a mining siege.’
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Üç ilçe üç projeyle felakete gidiyor, published in BirGün newspaper on October 17, 2025.
