Turkey witnessed least precipitation of two decades last year

İZMİR

An annual report released by the State Meteorological Service has showed that the volume of the precipitation across the country between Oct. 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021, has been the least of the last two decades.

“The precipitation decreased by 16 percent compared to rainfalls that occurred a year ago and some 19 percent down from the average of several years,” the report said.

According to the report obtained by the state-run Anadolu Agency, the southeastern region of the country suffered the biggest decline with 39 percent compared to the previous year. The rainfalls in the Marmara and the Black Sea regions were at the same levels, while the volume of rainfalls plummeted in the eastern region by 32 percent and by 24 percent in the Mediterranean provinces.

The decline rate in the Central Anatolia was around 22 percent, it added.

Some 125 days of the year were rainy in the Black Sea and Marmara regions, while the southeastern provinces only witnessed some 60 days of humidity.

“The Black Sea province of Rize was the city with the most precipitation, the southeastern province of Mardin was the driest city,” the report said.

“The presence of water is essential for agriculture. The decrease in the precipitation effected agriculture badly,” Mustafa Özen, the head of the provincial agriculture and forestry directorate of the western province of İzmir, told Anadolu Agency.

“The country is running toward the days of no water. The decline of the rainfalls did not directly have an impact on İzmir. However, surrounding provinces are seriously fighting against the drought,” he noted.

He also made a call to the farmers to raise plants that need less water.

“Before the start of the season, we told the farmers that we would not be able to supply sufficient water, so we asked them to prefer less water-needing plants,” he said and added: “In a year, the volume of the cotton and sunflower harvests increased.”