US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1170

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001170 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR/SE, EUR/PGI, OES/PCI, OES/EGC 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, EAID, TBIO, TU 
SUBJECT:  AIR POLLUTION IN THE TURKISH CAPITAL.  ANKARA BACK 
TO HAZY OLD DAYS? 
 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified. 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
1.  (SBU) Summary.  Cleaning up Ankara's smoke-filled skies 
was an important environmental success story of the 1990s 
made possible by the introduction of natural gas to replace 
soft coal for home heating.  But this winter, the acrid 
stench of sulphur from burning soft coal and fumes from 
vehicle emissions was much more noticeable than in recent 
years -- although it is unfortunately not possible to 
scientifically quantify what our eyes and noses tell us 
because of Turkey's inadequate pollution monitoring system. 
The city of Ankara's predicament is emblematic of the 
challenges Turkey faces in reducing environmental pollution, 
which will require overcoming government apathy and 
accommodating the demands of a growing population eager to 
reap the rewards of economic growth.  End Summary. 
 
Progress in the 1990s 
--------------------- 
2.  (U) Ankara, which sits in a bowl-like mountain valley at 
850 meters, was once choked by a dense layer of air 
pollution.  Into the 1980s, the city's rapidly-growing 
population relied on Turkish lignite and low-quality fuel 
oil for heating.  In 1988, Turkey began an ambitious program 
to replace these dirty fuels with natural gas purchased from 
the Soviet Union.  Ankara and Istanbul were the first large 
cities to receive natural gas, and most businesses and 
residents quickly switched.  The result was a dramatic 
improvement in air quality.  Average sulphur dioxide levels 
in Ankara's air have dropped from 218 parts per million 
(ppm) in 1990 to 56 ppm in 2002. 
 
Lignite and Vehicle Emissions Main Sources of Air Pollution 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
3.  (U) However, progress has stalled in recent years.  The 
2001 financial crisis led to the relegation of environmental 
programs to the bottom of the government's agenda.  Although 
Ankara's air pollution is far from as severe as it was in 
the 70s and 80s, a return of dirty air in Ankara appears to 
come primarily from two sources:  the increased use of 
lignite and higher vehicle emissions -- especially from low- 
quality diesel fuel. 
 
4.  (SBU) Turkey's most abundant domestic fuel resource is 
high-sulphur lignite.  Most Turks grew up in households 
heated with the smelly fuel.  Especially in poorer 
neighborhoods, the smell of lignite is strong on cold days. 
The doubling of sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels in the winter 
confirms anecdotal evidence that many of the city's poorer 
residents, faced with the rising cost of natural gas, are 
turning back to cheap lignite to heat their homes.  The 
Ankara Municipality is supposed to ensure that residents do 
not burn lignite, but the press reports that it has not 
effectively controlled the sale and use of lignite in 
Ankara.  In fact, the government may be contributing to the 
problem.  Some local journalists report that much of the 
free coal distributed by the municipality to poor families 
is lignite. 
 
5.  (U) Ankara's population increased from 3.2 million in 
1990 to over 4 million in 2000 (an average of over 200 new 
residents per day), but that rapid population growth is far 
outstripped by the boom in cars and trucks on the streets. 
There are 925,000 cars registered in Ankara, and that figure 
increases by about 600-700 per day.  Gasoline quality has 
improved in recent years; however, Turkey's diesel fuel is 
of especially low quality -- with sulphur content of 7,000 
parts per million (ppm); the EU standard is 50 ppm.  Since 
diesel is sold at lower prices than gasoline, new car buyers 
opt for diesel cars that despite being new burn low-quality 
diesel and spew black smoke.  As a result, diesel cars, 
trucks and buses are a serious cause of air pollution. 
Ankara has 1,190 city busses; most of them are old and all 
but a few burn diesel. 
 
What Problem? 
------------- 
6.  (SBU) By Turkish government standards, there isn't an 
air pollution problem.  Turkey's pollution standards are 
much looser than those of the EU or WHO.  Allowable levels 
were set in 1986 and are three times higher than current WHO 
standards.  The Health Ministry, which is responsible for 
monitoring air pollution levels, consistently tracks only 
two pollutants (sulfur dioxide and particulate matter) at 
seven sights in the city.  The Chamber of Environmental 
Engineers Ankara Section Head Cihan Dundar confirmed to us 
what we have heard from other officials and NGOs -- that the 
city's pollution monitoring equipment is inadequate to 
scientifically evaluate Ankara's air quality.  The EU 
confirmed this conclusion in its 2004 Regular Report on 
Turkey's progress towards accession:  "In the field of air 
quality, further legislation needs to be adopted and steps 
taken to start implementation, including upgrading of air 
quality monitoring." 
 
7.  (SBU) Nevertheless, the spotty data collected in the 
city seems to verify a recent deterioration of air quality. 
For example, average daily particulate levels in December 
2004 (the most recent data available) were 95 ppm; the 
December 2003 average was 86 ppm.  In addition, there were 
five days in December 2004 when particulate matter levels 
exceeded the WHO maximum, compared to four days in December 
2003. 
 
8.  (SBU) A combination of government apathy and poor data 
means that very little is known about the health effects of 
Ankara's air pollution.  According to Professor Cagatay 
Guler of the Haceteppe Medical School, there are no studies 
in Turkey of the health effects of air pollution.  A 2004 
WHO study on the health effects of air pollution in European 
cities linked air pollution to a number of serious health 
effects, such as respiratory and pulmonary disease; the 
report concluded that 100,000 people in Europe die each year 
as a result of particulate matter in the air and noted that 
particulate matter from diesel engines was among the most 
harmful.  Given the higher pollution levels in Ankara, it is 
reasonable to expect that Ankara's citizens suffer a greater 
degree of health problems, including avoidable deaths. 
 
Improvements will Be Driven by the EU 
------------------------------------- 
9.  (SBU) The Turkish government has shown little interest 
in or capability for tackling many of the country's serious 
environmental problems.  The result has been a slow 
deterioration of environmental standards.  Reports written 
in advance of the December 17 European council decision to 
begin accession negotiations remarked on Turkey's 
environmental shortcomings:  "the administrative capacity to 
deal with environmental issues is less developed that those 
of the new Member States at a similar stage of the pre- 
accession process."  Reflecting the scope of the problem, EU 
officials estimate that it will cost about Euro 50 billion 
to bring Turkey into compliance with EU standards. 
 
10.  (U) The prospect of EU membership and the process of 
adoption of the acquis has begun to force the GOT to start 
putting environmental issues, including air quality, higher 
on its list of priorities. 
 
-- Improving air quality is listed as a priority in Turkey's 
National Program for the Adaptation of the EU Acquis.  The 
National Program states that establishment of a sound air 
quality monitoring station network, improvement of the 
laboratory infrastructure, training on legislation and 
technical issues for the staff involved in air quality and 
strengthening of the system to inform the public on air 
quality are the necessary institutional changes that should 
be realized. 
 
-- In June 2004, the government approved regulations to 
improve the quality of vehicle fuels, in order to comply 
with EU directives.  The regulations mandate that sulphur 
levels in diesel be reduced from 7,000 ppm to 50 ppm in 2007 
and 10 ppm in 2009. 
 
-- Sedat Kadioglu, DDG Environmental Management of MOEF, 
told us the Ministry has been working on legislative 
arrangements to extend fuel quality standards to heating 
devices and enforce rules making natural gas heating 
mandatory where it is available.  He added that the MOEF 
would actively participate in air pollution monitoring, and 
will purchase new monitoring equipment and use on-line data 
tracking. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
11.  (SBU) Ankara's darkening skies are one of the most 
visible -- and annoying -- signs of Turkey's environmental 
problems.  Other serious problems include the lack of clean 
drinking water for much of the country and the widespread 
fouling of the land and water with unregulated waste 
disposal.  Although we cannot quantify the health effects of 
Turkey's environmental problems, we do know that they are 
significant and will continue to exact considerable costs in 
terms of public health and living standards for years to 
come.  Turkey's EU accession and adoption of Europe's higher 
environmental standards, though estimated to cost Euro 50 
billion, will result in long-term improvements in health, 
life expectancy and Turkey's productivity.  The EU estimated 
that the Euro 80 - 120 billion it cost to bring the 10 
newest members up to EU environmental standards will result 
in tangible benefits of between Euro 134 and 681 billion. 
EDELMAN