Ergene

In a bid to draw attention to pollution and the risk of cancer in the Ergene River Basin, the Foundation for Children with Leukemia (LÖSEV) has organized a protest at the banks of Çorlu Creek in the western province of Tekirdağ.

Some 280 Olympic pool volume of wastewater is being discharged from Ergene River in Turkey's northwest to the Marmara Sea every day, according to Greenpeace Mediterranean.

"Industrial wastes had made the Ergene River one of the most polluted streams in the world. Now, these wastes are carried to the depths of the Marmara Sea by pipes," the NGO said in a statement.

A total of 245 liters (64.7 gallons) of counterfeit alcohol was seized on Feb. 11 in northwestern Turkey, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Acting on a tip-off, gendarmerie teams in Tekirdag province launched an operation in the Ergene district, Anadolu Agency cited anonymous sources as saying.

Fourteen cartons of cigarettes were also confiscated. 

Tekirdağ,

Bulgaria has warned its southern neighbors Greece and Turkey they could face floods as heavy rains are expected to swell the Arda and Meriç (Maritsa) rivers flowing into their territories.

Heavy metal pollution at the Ergene River Basin in northwestern Turkey has led to a visible increase in cancer incidents among local people in recent years, according to experts.

A famous river dubbed the "life source of Thrace" in Turkey's west has been flowing with poison because it has mixed with industrial waste. 

The Ergene River, which stems from the Yıldız Mountains and has seven arms, turns into poisonous water five kilometers away from its source after it merges with several other arms of the river. 

A planned clean-up project for Ergene River would destroy natural life in the Marmara Sea, according a report released by several non-governmental organizations and environmental groups May 18.

As sea turtle nesting season ends, 100,000 babies have reached the turquoise waters of Turkey's southern coast, a Turkish scientist has announced.

Six beaches in Mersin province saw more baby sea turtles compared to last year, Mersin University Deputy President Prof. Dr. Gürol Emekdaş said Sept. 6, according to Doğan News Agency.