The Düden Waterfalls in Antalya, one of the province's most popular natural wonder sites and famous for hosting many scenes of classic Yeşilçam movies, has fallen victim to the ongoing drought with its flow decreasing to worrying levels.
The water flow rate, which was at 94 cubic meters per second during the winter, has visibly decreased to 8 cubic meters per second in Antalya, where the temperatures are 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) above the seasonal norms.
Despite the reduction in flow, visitors, as many as 6,000 people per day, have been cooling off in the caves and taking pictures by the waterfalls.
Süleyman Yavuz, Düden waterfall operations manager, said that the decrease in water resources is a worldwide problem. Yavuz stated that they have developed a solution and are trying to keep the flow of the waterfall alive with supplementary sources.
"There is a decrease in the point where the water spills over. Water is supplemented so that our visitors can see the waterfalls. In winter, this situation is the opposite. We do not have a problem with the water supply.
"Especially on weekends, the density of visitors increases. We have around 5,000 to 6,000 visitors during the day," he explained.
Levent Özdemir, a visitor, said that he was surprised to see the water level when he visited with his children and noted that the waterfalls, which he had visited 15 years ago, were very different today. Explaining that he was happy to see that the surrounding trees had grown, Özdemir said that he was saddened by the decrease in the water level.
Another visitor, Gülsüm Topak, stated that she visited the waterfalls for the first time and pointed out that it was a nice place to cool off.
The site is located 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away from the city center, and the water flows underground for 10 kilometers (6 miles). It pours into the sea from the cliffs in the Lara region of Muratpaşa district, forming a second waterfall.
It is also the famous historical location that Alexander the Great visited after the conquest of Pamphylia in 334 B.C. He and his troops stopped so the horses in his army could quench their thirst, also earning the name "Alexander Waterfalls."