Çiğli Belediye Başkanlığı

Çiğli is an industrial district on the Aegean coast of Turkey, home to a large organized industrial zone, thermal power plant emissions, and a rapidly growing population. Yet until now, no one has been continuously measuring what its residents are breathing.With support from the EPIC Air Quality Fund, Çiğli Municipality is deploying 20 air quality sensors across the district to measure fine particulate matter — the tiny particles most harmful to human health. All data will be shared openly and in real time, free for anyone to access.Beyond measurement, we aim to use this data to push for change: presenting findings to Turkey’s Ministry of Environment and Parliament, and advocating for a national air quality standard that actually protects people — not one that is four times more lenient than WHO guidelines.

As Çiğli Municipality, we aim to monitor our district’s air quality for the first time through continuous, publicly accessible data — and to translate that data into national policy change. Turkey’s current PM2.5 standard is twice the EU norm, an unacceptable gap. We will present our findings to the Ministry of Environment and to the Turkish Grand National Assembly, advocating for an evidence-based revision of the national standard. We will also integrate our data into Turkey’s EU accession process and our municipality’s climate action plan. Starting from Çiğli, we are working toward cleaner air standards for all of Turkey.

Mr. Okan Kızılyıl, Climate Change and Zero Waste Department Manager, Çiğli Belediye Başkanlığı