Struggling with drought, Turkey to collect rainwater

ISTANBUL

A rainwater collection system will be installed in new buildings in Turkey as the country faces water shortages after recording several years of rainfalls below seasonal averages.

Taking into account the increasing problem of drought, it will be obligatory to build a “rainwater collection system” in order to collect the rainwater accumulated on the roofs of all buildings that will be built on plots larger than 2,000 square meters in underground tanks.

A regulation prepared by the Environment and Urbanization Ministry was published in the Official Gazette.

With the regulation, municipalities and other institutions authorized to issue licenses were also given the authority to impose obligations on smaller plots.

The drought problem in the country can be solved by implementing rain harvesting and gray water techniques, which will save up to 40 percent in water consumption, according to experts.

Meanwhile, after rains and snowfalls in Istanbul in recent weeks, the dams' occupancy rate across the province has reached 32 percent.