‘Istanbul not to face water shortage in 2023’

ISTANBUL

The level of water in Istanbul’s dams stands at 31 percent, the head of the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (İSKİ) has said, stressing that there will be no water shortage in 2023.

A total of nine dams with different capacities meet the water needs of Istanbul, Şafak Başa said, adding that the current amount of water in these dams is 31 percent.

“As of today, we have 270 million cubic meters of water and around 3 million cubic meters of water usage per day. Considering the water level in dams alone, it seems the water reserves can meet the needs only for 90 days. However, Istanbul’s water needs are not met only by dams,” Başa explained.

He stated that despite the insufficient precipitation in Istanbul, the Melen stream and the Yeşilçay dam also significantly contribute to meeting the water needs.

Pointing out that water supply is a planning and engineering work, Başa noted that they plan the annual water requirement of the city according to the scenario of the lowest precipitation regime.

“We supply 1 billion cubic meters of water to Istanbul in a year. According to our calculation, we will be able to enter 2024 with water levels at 20 to 21 percent,” Başa said.

“We have also reduced the loss and leakage rate of water coming from dams in Istanbul from 23 percent to 19 percent with scientific methods and investments.”

Underlining that preventing the leakage and losses that occur during the transportation of water means saving almost as much as the water reserve of a dam, Başa stated that Istanbul will not face water problems in 2023.

“There is no water shortage in Istanbul in 2023, but of course, our citizens should be diligent in saving water. We are constantly making calls to save water due to global warming. We need to carefully use our water, which we supply at great costs,” he explained.

Providing information about the Melen Dam project, Başa said there is water stress in Istanbul as the Melen Dam has been under construction for many years.

“If the Melen Dam is completed, even if there is no rain in Istanbul for a year, we can meet the annual water supply of the city from Melen,” he added.