Water level rises to record level in Istanbul dams

ISTANBUL

Water levels in the dams supplying Istanbul have reached 84 percent, the highest rate measured in the last 12 months, thanks to the latest rainfalls.

Data from the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (İSKİ) showed that the rise in the water level reached 5 percent in one week.

It was at just 56.2 percent in February last year, when the city’s water supplies were at alarmingly low levels, but it almost doubled within a year.

The highest water level was recorded at Istırancalar Dam at 85.5 percent, while it reached 100 percent in Elmalı Dam and 94 percent in Ömerli Dam.

The city relies on dams and large ponds for water for its more than 16 million inhabitants.

Overall, these dams have the capacity of storing up to 868.6 million cubic meters of water, and the city consumes 2.9 million cubic meters of water on average each day.