Vehicles marooned in mud of drying Gölbaşı Dam Lake

BURSA

Parts of the Gölbaşı Dam Lake, a vital water source for agricultural lands in northwestern Bursa, have become a popular picnic spot over the years as water levels have dropped by 90 percent, exposing the lake bed, but many picnic-goers have found their vehicles marooned in its thick mud.

Tractors dispatched to rescue picnic-goers near the lake also became trapped in the mud.

Heavy equipment from a nearby village arrived promptly, successfully towing the stranded vehicles to safety on an asphalt road.

Fed by the water flowing from Uludağ and Katır Mountains, the dam lake irrigates the agricultural lands located in Gürsu, Kestel, Yıldırım and Osmangazi districts. The drying areas of the dam have become a popular destination for locals, who flock there to enjoy picnics on sunny weekends.

The temperature fluctuating above seasonal averages and the insufficient rainfall have recently caused the water level of Kırklareli Dam to significantly decline as well, according to the local authorities from the country’s water body.

Supplying drinking water to the northwestern province, the dam currently has a water level of around 30 percent, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.

Despite having a storage volume of 113.3 million cubic meters, the dam currently holds 33.4 million cubic meters.

Similarly, Bodrum, a renowned holiday destination in the western province of Muğla, has been struggling with water supply issues for years.

This year, the water levels in the tourism district’s dams remained critically low right after the Eid al-Adha holiday, with Mumcular Dam remaining at around 15 percent and Geyik Dam dropping from 45 percent to 36 percent.

In response to this critical downfall, Muğla’s water and sewage administration unfolded plans to establish a desalination plant at the time, with the aim of supplying an additional 30,000 cubic meters of water daily, enough to support 100,000 people.