Authority bans saying implying ‘water is cheap’ inhouse

ANKARA

The deputy director of Turkey’s General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works has banned the saying “Sudan Ucuz,” which means “cheaper than water,” from being used inhouse, drawing attention to climate change.

“This saying is now history here. Water is more expensive than anything and, in fact, everything,” Kaya Yıldız told daily Milliyet.

Stressing on climate change and global warming, Yıldız said he believes that during such an alarming time, water should not be depicted as something worthless. “Water is everything,” he said.

Yıldız, who presented a report to the Climate Research Commission at the Turkish Parliament, determined that Turkey is a country where water levels are distressing.

The water potential that should be used in the country is 112 billion cubic meters, but “we only use 57.7 billion cubic meters,” stressed Yıldız.

“Some 44 billion cubic meters are used for irrigation, the rest, 13.7 billion cubic meters, for drinking,” he added.

His estimation for 2050 and 2060 is that the need for water usage will jump to 68 billion cubic meters.

When asked about the water need in big cities, he said they are enough for the time being.

According to Yıldız, Istanbul this year had 674 million cubic meters of water in its reserves.

“The daily water need for Istanbul is 2.9 million cubic meters,” he said, adding that the metropolis has sufficient water to use for seven-and-a-half months in its dams.