Istanbul Municipal Council Hears Claims of 11.4 Tons Per Hour of Methane Gas Leakage from Silivri and Şile Landfills

At the October plenary session of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council, MHP Council Member Sultan Aşkın raised a report citing University of California satellite data, announcing that methane gas leakage of approximately 7.4 tons per hour was detected from the Silivri storage facility and roughly 4 tons per hour from the Şile facility. Habertürk reported this information.

According to Aşkın, these figures indicate that the leakage from Silivri alone produces an effect equivalent to the continuous operation of approximately 1.5 million vehicles. When both facilities are considered together, total emissions reach 11.4 tons per hour.

At the session chaired by Council Vice President Gökhan Gümüşdağ, Aşkın emphasized that methane carries far greater global warming potential compared to carbon dioxide and poses an explosion risk, calling for immediate strengthening of security and sealing measures.

No official statement has yet been issued by the municipality regarding the scientific accuracy of the report and the municipality's sealing practices at the facilities. The Şile and Silivri sites are among Istanbul's active solid waste landfill areas.