Clean streets and rivers for Üsküdar: restoring the Lotus wetland

The Lotus wetland has been used as an informal dump for years. This May, 57 neighbors turned up for a first cleanup, filling 44 bags in a single morning. Now we want to restore it for good. We have a plan agreed with the municipal water board, including native species selected by a local botanist. The area floods more each year, and fish have returned for the first time in a decade after our first cleanup. Restoring it will protect homes and bring back shade. All the labor is volunteered. We just need materials. Funds buy saplings, gloves, bags, hire of a skip, and signage. Where the $450 goes: • Waste removal and skip hire: $90 • Signage and educational materials: $30 • Native saplings and stakes: $330 I never thought I'd be the one asking, and I'm grateful for every bit of support. - Gizem