People rally to save Lake Burdur from drought ahead of ‘water fast’

ANTALYA – Doğan News Agency

Photographs of a dance show performed by Azizi and ballerina Deniz Kılınç last month, have been released ahead of the Sept. 27 event. DHA Photo

Support is pouring in to save Lake Burdur from disappearing ahead of a weekend gathering that will include events to draw attention to the environmental problems of the area in what is being billed as a “water fast.”

Artists, politicians, scholars, activists, students and local farmers and villagers have sent videos to urge authorities to find a solution to a fast-paced drought that, according to experts, may lead to the extinction of the lake in a mere 20 years. Once the seventh biggest lake in the country, Lake Burdur has lost a third of its waters in the last 35 years and has become one of the regions threatened the most by the drought affecting the outskirts of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey.

The two-day gathering, also dubbed “mourning for the lake,” will kick off on Sept. 27 with a day during which no water will be consumed in an attempt, according to the organizers, “to experience what the lake endures.” The event will feature several concerts and screenings on the shores of the lake. People across Turkey and all around the world will be able to join the events via the Internet.

Many renowned artists and musicians, including choreographer Ziya Azazi, composer Turgay Erdener, violinists from the Borusan Philarmonic Orchestra and local poet Gonca Özmen will attend the events.
A documentary about the lake has been prepared as part of the project, while photographs, including underwater pictures of a dance show performed by Azizi and ballerina Deniz Kılınç last month, have also been released.

The Nature Association has expressed concerns about the recovery of the lake, stating that it had lost 80 percent of the sources feeding its waters in the last 10 years. Activists have also called for a better use of the waters in the area, especially for farming and livestock breeding.

The lake is also home to many birds species and to a small endemic fish called “burduricus.” Social media users will be able to show their support for the events with the hashtags #SuOrucu (water fast) and #GöleYas (mourning for the lake).