Water supply and sanitation in Turkey

With Istanbul grappling with a worsening water crisis due to drought, the water levels in three out of the ten dams supplying water to the country's largest city have plummeted dangerously, falling nearly 3 percent, according to data from the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ).

With the drought caused by the lack of rainfall aggravating, the water levels of dams in Istanbul have dropped visibly, raising concerns.

The water level at Büyükçekmece Dam Lake was recorded at 30.94 percent as of March 9.

The level of water in Istanbul's dams stands at 31 percent, the head of the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (İSKİ) has said, stressing that there will be no water shortage in 2023.

A total of nine dams with different capacities meet the water needs of Istanbul, Şafak Başa said, adding that the current amount of water in these dams is 31 percent.

In the next 20 years, Türkiye will move out of the list of the "water-stressed" countries and join the group of nations classified as "water-poor" countries, according to the Turkish Water Institute (SUEN), a member of the World Water Council continuing its activities under the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

Istanbul has only three months of water left, but rainfalls expected in the coming weeks will fill up dams by February for enough water, the deputy director of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) has said.

Oğuz Kasap told lawmakers in parliament that Turkey goes through such a drought every once in a decade.

Turkey might suffer a drought in 2020 or 2021, as the country experiences droughts almost every seven years, Forestry and Water Affairs Minister Veysel Eroğlu said on Aug. 7.

A pipeline project, opened to carry fresh water to Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from the Turkish province of Mersin, is allegedly experiencing a water stoppage due to the deepening of an existing crisis over which authority will manage the pipeline.