186 of Türkiye's 240 lakes dried up in 60 years

ISTANBUL

A total of 186 of 240 lakes in Türkiye have entirely dried up in the last 60 years, with the remaining lakes at risk of drought and pollution, an expert has warned.

“Türkiye’s lakes are facing grave issues, including low water levels, depleted surface areas, pollution and oxygen deficiency... They are almost dying out,” said Erol Kesici, a scientific adviser from the Turkish Association for the Conservation of Nature (TTKD).

These severe issues with Türkiye’s ancient natural lakes arise from the delayed identification of appropriate solutions to their fundamental problems, according to Kesici.

He further emphasized that the effect of severe drought and pollution has grown in recent years as a result, noting that a number of Anatolian lakes are also having trouble surviving due to their salinity rate and geographic location.

"The nation is left with almost no lakes; they have all significantly lost water and continue to do so,” he pointed out, stressing that this leads to the extinction of biodiversity.

“The lakes' declining water levels are no longer able to sustain the pollution caused by the growing amounts of bottom dirt and chemical wastes in the lakes.”

While this causes fish populations to steadily decline, lakes are becoming overly overgrown with macro- and micro-aquatic plants, Kesici noted.

In addition, as a variety of invasive species are migrating to the lake basin as a result, the drying process in all of the country’s wetlands continues to worsen due to rising evaporation, he added.

Kesici noted that untamed agricultural irrigation is one of the primary causes of climate catastrophe, stating, “Both the plant tissue and agricultural output should be managed, taking the cities’ climate conditions into account and in accordance with the current scientific understanding.”

As a final note, Kesici underlined that there is not a single lake in Türkiye at the moment that meets the standards or serves as an example.