The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has imposed administrative fines totaling TL 545.8 million ($20.2 million) on the owners of facilities, marine vessels and motor vehicles that violated environmental legislation, during the inspections carried out throughout the country in the first seven months of 2023.
Owners of some 2,896 facilities, 16 marine vessels and 1,291 motor vehicles were penalized due to violating the Environmental Law, the report obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA) on Tuesday revealed.
As a result of the 42,132 environmental inspections carried out by the ministry teams since Jan. 1, 2023, the activities of the enterprises that are determined to pose a danger to the environment and human health were ordered to be terminated, while such marine vessels are prohibited from navigating Turkish waters.
During the inspections, over 400 administrative sanctions for the prevention of waste-related environmental pollution totaled TL 282.2 million in fines, while the sanctions related to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes resulted in TL 51.8 million in fines. Other sanctions relating to preventing air pollution collected TL 42.1 million in fines, while government action to prevent water pollution resulted in TL 14.8 million in fines.
Other administrative fines included the ones aiming to stop soil pollution, disposal of trash bags and marine pollution.
The ministry also examined motor vehicles on the road to protect living things and the environment from the effects of air pollution caused by their exhaust gases.
During the inspection of 70,193 motorized vehicles through the Exhaust Electronic Inspection System (EGEDES), an administrative fine of TL 5.84 million was imposed on 1,291 motor vehicle owners who exceeded the exhaust limit value or did not obtain emission measurement.
Ministry-imposed administrative fines are used within the scope of protecting the environment and combating climate change.
