Water scarcity

Turkey is planning to build up to 150 underground dams as part of the government's Drought Action Plan, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli has said.

The ministry has devised an action plan to overcome the impact of global warming.

Minister of Environment Emil Dimitrov came to the Parliament surprisingly to warn lawmakers about the poor condition of the dams in Bulgaria. He stated that Burgas is facing a serious water crisis, which in 6 months will be a fact and in the coastal city and the situation will be similar to that in Pernik, the town facing persistent water-supply crisis.

A drop in rainfall has led to a decline in water levels in dams supplying water to Istanbul, Turkey's most populous province.

The dams held the lowest water level in the past 10 years as of Nov. 22, at 26.34 percent, Demirören News Agency reported.

Population growth, industrialization and climate change are putting intense pressure on the planet's limited water supplies, and Turkey is expected to feel the impacts in the near future, an official from the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has said.

As South Africa faces a serious water crisis, the country's water and sanitation minister urged people on Oct. 28 to use water sparingly before they start facing severe water restrictions.

A new report by the conservation organization WWF warns that the climate crisis poses an increasing real risk of global droughts. According to the study, these processes put pressure on wetlands and the urban environment and negatively impact the lives of 55 million people each year, putting energy supplies and food production at risk.

Greece and other countries of Southern Europe, as well as Turkey, are seen facing increased water shortages over the next 30 years, according to a report this month by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC).

NEW DELHI, June 15 (Xinhua) -- India is facing its worst ever water crisis so far in its history, warned a report prepared by Indian government's ace thinktank and policy adviser the National Institution for Transforming India, or NITI Aayog, on Friday.

With dusty desert sprawled across the region, Middle Eastern and north African nations must prepare better for drought as water shortages look set to worsen, the United Nations said on June 15.

Scarce rainfall and water supply problems are some of the reasons why the Italian capital Rome may be forced to introduce water regime this week, the British newspaper Guardian wrote.