3 dams supplying water to Istanbul dry up

KIRKLARELİ

With the summer season at its peak, the problem of drought in the country has come to the fore once again as the water level of three major dams meeting the water needs of Istanbul has dropped by 5 percent, with one of them almost completely covered with grass.

According to the data of Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ), the water levels of Kazandere, Pabuçdere and Istancalar dams, which are within the boundaries of the northwestern province of Kırklareli’s Vize district, are 5.14 percent, 3.91 percent and 33.28 percent, respectively.

The surface of Kazandere dam took on a green color from the grass that has covered almost all of the dried-up dam, with livestock breeders seen grazing their animals there.

Prof. Dr. Lokman Hakan Tecer, the dean of Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Engineering Faculty, stated that the main reason behind the decline in water levels are climate change, global warming, a decrease in precipitation and the shifting of the seasons.

“We have to live with climate change and adapt to our new reality. Two of the 10 dams that provide water to Istanbul, Kazandere and Pabuçdere, have seen their lowest levels in the last 10 years.”

Stating that the public must adapt to the changing conditions induced by climate change, Tecer said that people must use water resources responsibly.

According to Tecer, institutions should address water management and administration issues to reduce water consumption and promote more efficient utilization in industrial matters and agriculture.

“This is an urgent issue for all countries, including Türkiye. It is crucial to establish a vital cycle that can adapt to climate change in terms of water management and consumption in a planned manner. Institutions and states should take political action to address this pressing issue,” Tecer added.

Hüseyin Duran, a resident who lives in the region where the dams are located, said that they now graze their animals in the dried-up dam.

“In the previous years, we used to fish here, in the streams. We had many kinds of fish here, and we were able to swim in the dams. But now there is almost no water. It is a barren land, my sheep graze here,” Duran said.