"We will take all the necessary steps within three years and realize the projects that will save not only the present but also the future together," Kurum said, adding that he would soon give details of the action plan.

Efforts to remove mucilage from the sea began on June 6, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. 

Scientists say climate change and pollution have contributed to the proliferation of the organic matter, which contains a wide variety of microorganisms and can flourish when nutrient-rich sewage flows into seawater.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blamed the outbreak on untreated water from cities including Istanbul, home to 16 million people, and vowed to "clear our seas from the mucilage scourge."