This is the bizarre moment council workers use sewage trucks to suck up sea snot that has been covering Turkish beaches.

In the Sea of Marmara, an inland sea that connects the Black Sea and the Aegean Seas with the straits, there has been a sea snot problem since May due to an increase in pollution.

Sea snot, also known as mucilage, is a collection of mucus-like organic substances found in the seas. These substances are generally not harmful but can attract certain viruses and bacteria, and in extreme cases can become a thick blanket that suffocates the marine life beneath.

As the mucilage crisis in the Sea of Marmara grew, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation recently sent a circular to several provincial governorships and municipalities, as well as to the relevant ministries and non-governmental organisations, regarding the implementation of the ‘Sea of Marmara Action Plan’.

It was reportedly stated in the circular that the largest sea cleaning campaign would be launched on 8th June to eliminate and manage pollution caused by mucilage.

Following the circular, cleaning activities were started in the provinces with a coast to the Sea of Marmara and in the regions where mucilage is intense.

Footage of the cleaning works shared by Balikesir Metropolitan Municipality shocked social media users.

In the works started in the districts of Bandirma and Erdek, the sewage trucks, which are generally used to clean small-scale pollution such as urban sewage and apartment wastes, were used to clean the sea.

In the video shared by the municipality but later removed due to the reactions, the council workers are seen trying to clean the sea snot on the sea surface with sewage cleaning trucks.

Balikesir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Yucel Yilmaz shared photos on his Twitter account on 8th June related to the work with the note: “We have started mucilage cleaning works within the scope of Turkey’s largest sea cleaning campaign”.

Netizens argued that the solution was not practical, and an unorthodox method was used. One netizen expressed his reaction by sarcastically commenting, “It could have been cleaned more easily with a wet wipe.”

The Minister of Environment and Urbanisation, Murat Kurum, shared on his Twitter account on 13th June that the work in Balikesir had positive results and that the mucilage had been cleared, and he shared photos showing before and after images of the sea.