Page 171 - 7. State Of Environment Report Of Türkiye

Within the scope of “İskenderun Bioactive Reef Project”, artificial reef fields were created with
11 (bioactive) reef blocks in İskenderun District of Hatay Province. Balıkesir Province, Marmara
Island Gündoğdu Village Beautification Association created a reef field with 278 reef blocks. On
12 September 2023, approval was given to the “Aliağa Artificial Reef Project” of Aliağa District of
İzmir Province, consisting of 600 blocks, and the reef field was started to be created.

C.1.3.2.1. Blue Flag and Bathing Water Programme

The Blue Flag is an international environmental award given to qualified beaches, marinas and
yachts that meet the required standards. Under the coordination of the International Foundati-
on for Environmental Education (FEE), the Blue Flag application, which is carried out in beaches,
marinas and yachts in order to prevent pollution of the sea by wastewater, started in 1993 under
the leadership of the former Ministry of Tourism. Thanks to the activities carried out in Türkiye
for the prevention of marine pollution, the number of Blue Flags is increasing rapidly as an indi-
cator of clean seas.

The Blue Flag award is given for one year and the Blue Flag Programme supports sustainable
development in bathing water areas. It also places responsibilities on local authorities and be-
ach operators to achieve high standards in bathing water quality, environmental management,
environmental education and life safety.

Today, the Blue Flag has become an important eco-label that brings together the tourism and
environment sectors at local, regional and national levels. The Blue Flag Programme has an im-
portant place in coastal protection, raising environmental awareness and tourism marketing.
Although it is actually an environmental award, it is of great importance for the tourism sector
as it is an international standard and its application area is the coasts.

In the Blue Flag application, there are 33 criteria for beaches, 38 criteria for marinas and 4 cri-
teria for individual yachts and 17 rules of behaviour. Within the scope of these criteria, samples
are taken from bathing water areas every 15 days during the bathing water season in order to
control water quality and microbiological analyses are carried out. Within the scope of the Blue
Flag Programme, funds are transferred from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the Ministry
of Health every year for microbiological analyses. The water quality data obtained as a result of
these analyses are evaluated within the scope of the By-law on the Management of Bathing
Water Quality and the quality classification of bathing water areas is made.

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