Mogan Lake in Crisis: The Silent Struggle Against Pollution
Beneath the surface of our once crystal-clear lake lies a world of environmental degradation and the ongoing suffering of countless aquatic lives. The lake’s water quality has deteriorated significantly, leading to a dramatic decline in fish populations and affecting the entire aquatic food chain. The lush ecosystems that defined this lake, filled with vibrant plant life and diverse species, are now mere remnants. Every living being deserves safety in its natural habitat, yet here we are, witnessing the slow demise of our lake.
But how did Mogan Lake get to this state? How did this pristine sanctuary of nature become so polluted that it is now nearly unrecognizable? Why can’t nature simply restore itself? The answers to these questions reveal an unsettling reality. We must do more than recognize the damage; we must understand its root causes to take meaningful action. First of all, to have a deeper understanding of this concerning situation and to act properly we must understand the roots of this problem. Despite having many answers to all the questions, we have found the most severe ones that are essential in this context as well as to many other lakes. Mogan Lake started to get polluted many years ago. The pollution is not a recent issue as most people think. In fact, Mogan and Eymir Lake, as well as their immediate surroundings, were declared a Special Environmental Protection Area by the Council of Ministers in 1990. This means that it had started even before. This ongoing case came into existence with industrialization, urbanization, and population growth. Meanwhile more people came to admire the beauty of the lake, they were progressively deteriorating it.
Investigating Nature’s Crisis: A Young Reporter collects water samples to analyze pollution levels at Mogan Lake.
More visitors meant more household waste such as plastic waste, glass bottles and food leftovers from residential areas and picnic spots nearby. This led to unchecked and unregulated fishing, disturbing the ecosystem. Unfortunately, it wasn’t only the visitors that broke the peaceful ambience. Industrial and agricultural facilities carelessly abandoned their chemical waste which include fertilizers and pesticides. A brick factory established in the 1950s was a serious threat. Furthermore, the discharge of untreated wastewater led to eutrophication, a process where excessive nutrients cause uncontrolled algae growth. As a result the oxygen levels in the lake reduced and this overgrowth diminished biodiversity, harming fish and plant species. A research found out that there are 494 types of plants, 3 amphibians, 25 mammals, 12 reptiles and 13 fish species in the area. The pollution also puts the endangered species “Sevgi flower” at high risk along with the bird and duck species that use the region during the migration period or throughout the year. The fact that Lake Mogan is considered class “A” wetland that can host up to 25,000 water birds at a time makes the situation even more critical. In response, the authorities offered several initiatives although they have not been efficient enough. With a project launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, 3 million 500 thousand cubic meters of bottom mud were removed. Although efforts were made not to disturb the surrounding ecosystem, it was irresistible that they were affected.
Teamwork for the Environment: Young Reporters for the Environment conduct water quality tests to assess the impact of pollution.
The pollution in the lake is caused by various things. The most important ones being the general cleanliness, external sources and environmental trash, the list goes on but we thought that elaborating on these specified points could be more helpful to spot the main problem. We shall first take a look at the general cleanliness of the lake. The lake is dirty because when algae grows in the lake it gives the water a mossy look and an odious smell. This can be solved by some efforts, even by the locals if they spend some time and money to get the dedicated equipment. External pollution on the other hand is the pollution that humans do by littering the lake or to some extent harming the nature and the wildlife residing in the lake. Solving this problem is harder compared to the natural dirtiness inasmuch it is harder to detect and prevent. Now this aspect is not even that bad compared to the pollution that is coming from the industrial facilities near the region. This one is what is referred to as environmental trash. Open dumping is one of the main causes of this harming problem not only in our lake but in the world. This is why we think the lake pollution is important as a global issue.
Even though there have been some attempts to solve these problems and more it’s simply not enough or viable in the long run. The lake might look clear on the surface but it is the quality of the water that really matters. People’s efforts have not been enough to solve this pollution from the base. If we can actually reflect on this problem and make people realize how harmful this issue is then we could even find better ways to cleanse even more polluted areas or water sources.
The fate of Mogan Lake is still uncertain. But time is running out, we must support local cleanup projects, report polluters, and demand stricter environmental regulations. We must take action to prevent the lake from suffering due to human laziness and neglect. It is our responsibility to ensure these actions are taken seriously and implemented effectively to protect our precious ecosystem that will protect not just Mogan Lake, but all natural ecosystems from further destruction. Every moment wasted brings us closer to a point of no return, a future where this lake exists only in memory. We cannot let that happen. The time to act is now, not tomorrow or next year.
By: Efe Çıkrıkcı-Mustafa Kirkil-Bilge Sena Uysal-Edibe Ayşe Karabay-Ela Uğurlu
References:
Gündoğdu, S., and S. Yılmaz. “Evaluation of the Environmental Problems in Lake Mogan and Lake Eymir.” Turkish Journal of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, vol. 2, no. 3, 2015, pp. 245–255. DergiPark, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/tabin/issue/11452/136617.
Türe, C., and H. Böcük. “Ecological Characteristics and Environmental Problems of Lake Mogan (Ankara, Turkey).” Turkish Journal of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, 2009. DergiPark, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/315959.
