Turkey has signed a new cooperation agreement with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to support environmental protection, urban infrastructure and climate-related projects. The first phase will focus on the Marmara region, backed by an investment package of around €400 million (US$465 million). A major share of the funding will go towards advanced biological wastewater treatment plants, with the aim of reducing pollution entering the Sea of Marmara. The agreement was signed by Türkiye’s Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum and AIIB Vice President Ajay Bhushan Pandey during a Climate Finance Summit in Istanbul.
The focus on the Marmara Sea is significant because the semi-enclosed water body has previously experienced severe outbreaks of marine mucilage, commonly known as “sea snot.” This thick layer of organic material can develop when excess nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus from untreated or inadequately treated wastewater, combine with favourable conditions such as warmer water and weak circulation. Mucilage can reduce oxygen levels in the water and interfere with marine organisms and fisheries. Expanding biological wastewater treatment can help remove nutrients and organic pollutants before they reach the sea. The initiative therefore goes beyond cleaning the visible pollution—it aims to address one of the sources of marine ecosystem stress and strengthen the long-term resilience of the Marmara Sea. More