The annual amount of water per capita in Türkiye has approached 1,000 cubic meters, which is the water scarcity limit. The current situation has placed the country under the "countries under high water stress" category.
With the lack of precipitation in Türkiye in recent months and the decrease in the water occupancy rates in dams, the risk of drought has once again been brought to the country's agenda.
Yıldız Technical University Environmental Engineering Department lecturer professor Mehmet Çakmakcı stated that "according to a study conducted by the World Resources Institute on the listing of countries under water stress, Türkiye is seen as a country under high water stress, and this continues to increase. While the annual amount of water per capita is approaching 1,000 cubic meters, this is the boundary of water scarcity. Since it does not exist, we must construct the current cycle well. If we don't build it well, we will face problems."
Since the beginning of the year, precipitation has been much lower than in previous years, and some dams have completely dried out. "Since 2015, we have seen a continuous decrease in rainfall, an alarming situation for a country to face a severe drought," he said.
Giving Bursa as an example, Çakmakcı said: "We see that there is no water left in the Nilüfer Dam and that there is around 38% water left in the Doğancı Dam. At the same time, the dams in Istanbul have reached the 35% level. Therefore, our priority should be to meet drinking water necessities."
Appealing for urgent measures, Çakmakcı said: "Türkiye is the first among the Mediterranean countries that will be most affected by global warming. The constantly increasing temperatures and severely decreasing precipitation will not let any country escape from the disasters caused by global warming. Still, one of the countries that will be affected the most is Türkiye."
Emphasizing the seriousness of the situation from drought maps, Çakmakcı said: "When we look at the drought maps of 2000, 2010, 2021 and 2023, we can see that the risky dark red areas have turned black. According to Turkish State Meteorological Service data, a large region starting from Mersin, including Konya, Ankara, Balıkesir, and the Marmara Region, a densely populated area, is described as an exceptionally dry."
Çakmakcı warned that "immediate actions must be taken" and drew attention to the "water cycle" emphasizing that even the landscaping areas in cities should be planned in line with these measures from the water used in agricultural irrigation.
"We use approximately 72% of the water in agricultural irrigation. Therefore, we urgently need to ensure that products with lower water consumption" are used he said.
Regarding changing irrigation methods he said: "If there is no agricultural production, we will have problems in the food supply. This will have severe economic effects. In addition, most of our provinces, with drinking and utility water facilities and landscapes in cities, are irrigated. Hence, landscape plants with low water consumption should be preferred. For example, grass is greenery that requires a high amount of water. Instead, it would be more appropriate to create landscapes that require less water and have a visual appearance, but are easier to maintain."
"As a precaution, gray water is also a significant source of water. Therefore, we must purify these gray waters at an advanced level and send them to second or third use. These are all the preventive measures that will contribute to the water cycle in our country. For example, in 2001, we had 274 dams, but today we have 968. It is a phenomenon that shows how much we have increased the 968 dams and water storage structures. Therefore, we need measures and awareness to save our country from water scarcity," he urged.
