Water scarcity

By 2040, over 44 countries will face severe water scarcity. In general, the Mediterranean countries belong to the regions of the planet with the highest risk of drought and water scarcity. Today, Europe is already facing the longest period of drought in the last 500 years. This is according to an analysis by Prof. Dr. Yannis Maniatis and Ph.D.

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.

Recent snowfall has been good news for Turkey's most crowded metropolis of Istanbul, as the province was troubled by drought fears last year.

Water levels in the dams supplying the city have reached 64.66 percent thanks to the precipitation and melting of snowdrifts.

Groundwater sources in Turkey are burdened and critically decreasing due to faulty agricultural practices, unplanned cities and uncontrolled population, according to a water report.

The report was prepared by the Water Policies Association, using the data of the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry.

The newly opened Ilısu Prof. Dr. Veysel Eroğlu Dam will contribute 3 billion Turkish Liras to Turkey's economy annually, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Nov. 6.

More than five billion people could have difficulty accessing water in 2050, the UN warned on Tuesday, urging leaders to take the initiative at the COP26 summit.

As early as 2018, 3.6 billion people had inadequate access to water for at least a month a year, according to a new report by the UN World Meteorological Organization.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is preparing a draft law on water management of the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on July 5.

"We are preparing a 'Water Law' in the parliament in order to reach our targets faster and to prevent conflicts in water management," Erdoğan said, speaking at an opening ceremony of water facilities in the capital Ankara.

Drought caused by climate change and the decrease in precipitation have affected the basin of Lake Van, the water sources, agriculture and animal husbandry in the region, experts have warned.

"Heat rose, while precipitation decreased in the last decade," Faruk Alaeddinoğlu, a professor from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, told state-run Anadolu Agency.

Water is at the core of our existence. From an agriculture perspective, water is the essence of the food we grow. The world's food systems depend on the planet's water systems. Many global challenges, however, are threatening the sustainability of our water resources leading to water stress and scarcity and therefore impeding our efforts to attain food security.

The recent rainfalls have been good news for Turkey's most crowded metropolis Istanbul, as the province was troubled by drought fears earlier this year.

Water levels in the dams supplying the city have finally reached 90 percent thanks to precipitation.