Megastar Tarkan supporting protection of Lake Burdur

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s megastar Tarkan strolls around Lake Burdur asking everyone to take action for its future.

Turkish music megastar Tarkan has visited southern Turkey’s Lake Burdur to lend his weight to efforts to save the body of water from drying up due to evaporation.

“It is really painful to see that this magnificent beauty is about to die,” he said. “People are doing their best to rescue this lake. If we act together, we can handle this problem. I call on all the people of Burdur to take action for the future of the lake, because if there is no lake, there is no Burdur.”

Strolling around the lake with officials from Turkey’s non-profit Nature Association, Tarkan told locals he would fight to prevent the lake from evaporating, especially as 35 percent of the body of water has dried out over the past 35 years.

‘No lake, no Burdur’
Sporting a T-shirt with the message “No lake no Burdur,” Tarkan said the lake’s rapid evaporation was a vital problem not only for creatures living around it but also for the people of the city.

“If we don’t take necessary measures at once, we will lose this lake by 2040,” said Nature Association Chairman Güven Eken. “The lake is not dying out because of natural reasons like insufficient rain, but because of man-made problems,” he added, noting that dams that affect the lake’s water sources could spell an end to the body of water as well as Burdur.

Burdur Mayor Sebahattin Akkaya said the struggle led by the Nature Association should be supported by Burdur’s people. “Lake Burdur means the future of the city. We will do our best to prevent the lake from dying out.” He also requested that Tarkan ask for support for the lake during his concerts.