'Istanbul dams to meet water needs for only three months’

ISTANBUL

The water level of dams that meet Istanbul’s water needs has decreased to 33 percent, while the existing water reserve can meet the water requirements for only up to three-and-a-half months, Agriculture and Forestry Ministry Vahit Kirişçi has warned.

Providing information to the media representatives about the 2022 activities of his ministry, Kirişçi underlined that Türkiyes is not a disadvantaged country in terms of water resources.

Pointing out that the country is “neither water rich nor water poor,” Kirişçi expressed that Türkiye, similar to many other countries, has recently faced drought due to low precipitation and unusual temperature.

“We are not water rich or poor, but we are a country under water stress. We are experiencing drought,” the minister expressed.

Underlining that a significant part of the population resides in big cities, Kirişçi stated that the consequences of drought caused by lack of precipitation might also affect Istanbul.

“Most of the population lives in large cities. The current level of water in dams in Istanbul is lower than last year,” Kirişçi explained.

Currently, the water level rate of the dams that meet the water needs of the city, where almost 16 million people live, is 33.3 percent, he stated.

“If there is no precipitation in Istanbul for a while, the existing water reserve will only meet the need for three-and-a-half months,” Kiriçi said.

As one of the sectors most affected by drought, his ministry reached the final stage in its support efforts for agriculture.

Kirişçi underlined that they prepared a three-year action plan in the first place.

“We will increase our financial aid for our young farmers from 100,000 Turkish Liras ($5,300) to 250,000 liras ($13,300),” he announced.

Pointing out that Istanbul is the province that consumes fresh fruits and vegetables the most due to its dense population, Kirişçi stated that they are trying to meet the consumption “on the site.”

“Istanbul alone consumes 25 percent of all fresh vegetable fruits of the country. We say: Let’s feed people where they were born,” he said, stressing that the transportation problem will also be eliminated by starting agricultural practices in Istanbul.

“If we produce in districts such as Çatalca, Silivri, Beykoz and Şile, it would take a maximum of one hour to reach the consumption points. We support urban agriculture,” Kirişçi explained.

The drought experienced in the autumn period has continued since the beginning of the winter, while the risk of water scarcity became one of the most urgent problems in Istanbul.

Some experts pointed out the use of the cloud seeding method, widely known as the rain bomb, to combat drought.