Floating islands of Çat Dam Lake stabilized

ADIYAMAN

The floors of 3,000-year-old floating islands of the southeastern province of Adıyaman's Çat Dam Lake have been stabilized with weights after they began to wash ashore due to the effect of climate change.

As water levels started to decrease, floating islands of the lake located in the Petelik region started to move around, which posed a threat as during stormy weather, their frequent collisions with the shore could wear away the edges or heavily impact them.

In the previous year, a study was initiated under the leadership of the Adıyaman Governor’s Office to prevent the destruction of these islands, which are known to be a crucial source of income for the province in terms of tourism.

After a feasibility study, teams managed to immobilize some of the 30 floating islands by attaching heavy weights to their floor underwater, while the other islands were tied together to restrict their movement.

İbrahim Türkoğlu, one of the experts from the provincial directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, stated that the deadly twin earthquakes in early February, which jolted 11 provinces, including Adıyaman, did not cause any damage to the lake and the islands, and they continued to host visitors as life returned to normal. The islands have started to stroll mainly because of the adverse impact of climate change.

There are several floating islands in the Çat Dam lake, the formation of which was completed in about 3,000 years, ranging in height from 3 to 5 meters underwater and in surface area from 100 to 500 square meters.