Ministry to prevent flamingo deaths in Lake Salt
KONYA - Demirören News Agency
Tankers have started to bring water to Lake Salt in the Central Anatolian province of Konya to prevent flamingo deaths that have been seen in the lake for a while, the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry has announced while urging on the critical period of the next 15 days.
“We aim to bring water to the hatching, i.e. ‘kindergarten’ area, where baby flamingos live until they will be able to fly,” said Hacı Abdullah Uçan, the head of the General Directorate for Protection of Natural Assets.
Flamingos migrate to the lake in March and spend the incubation period in Konya from April to mid-June, Uçan said, adding that flamingo chicks are fed in this area until August when they will be able to fly.
The drought in Salt Lake may escalate in the next 15 days, Uçan also warned.
“It is obvious that the water is receding in Lake Salt and Konya Basin. We, as the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, are carrying out this project to eliminate the factors that threaten the existence of flamingos,” he added.
“Lake Salt is the most important breeding point of flamingos in the world,” Uçan said, reiterating that the ministry has been carrying out all kinds of monitoring and protection activities for years in order to minimize the effect of seasonal conditions and drought.
Uçan also pointed out that the project is being supported by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality and the surrounding district municipalities and is being implemented under the guidance of some experts.
Lake Salt, the second largest lake in Türkiye and one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world, has long been a hatching ground for flamingos. However, the drought due to lack of rainfall and excessive use of underground water has led the lake waters to sap, making finding food a challenge for flocks of flamingos.
