Drought

Türkiye is in the grip of drought, and the country will pay a heavier price if strict actions are not immediately taken, experts have warned.

Decisions in recent days to restrict water use in major cities show that the threat of drought is becoming more widespread. With water losses in cities reaching 60 percent and the drought set to become a more prominent topic of conversation after May, experts say the focus should be on what needs to be done as soon as possible, rather than how full reservoirs are.

Though the drought experienced throughout the country since last October has started to threaten agricultural production by "exceeding critical limits one by one," the possibility of compensation will continue if it rains in a week, sector representatives say.

Drought and major food crises may be experienced worldwide if greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere are not reduced, Türkiye's Special Envoy for Climate Change Mehmet Emin Binpınar has warned.

Watching out for rain and snowfall for days, farmers, especially those in central provinces, are worried as some crops such as corn and potatoes cannot be planted if the drought continues.

The drought, which is showing its impact more and more throughout the country, has reached alarming proportions in terms of agricultural production.

The water level of dams that meet Istanbul's water needs has decreased to 33 percent, while the existing water reserve can meet the water requirements for only up to three-and-a-half months, Agriculture and Forestry Ministry Vahit Kirişçi has warned.

Murat River, which feeds the Keban Dam Basin, one of the most important dams meeting the country's water needs, has almost turned into a small stream as the water has receded for meters due to drought.

As the water level in the dams that meet the water need of Istanbul has decreased to 32 percent, the experts have pointed out the use of the cloud seeding method, also known as rain bomb, to combat drought.

The drought experienced in the autumn period has continued since the beginning of the winter, while the risk of water scarcity became one of the most urgent problems in Istanbul.

With the waters receding in recent years, microbialite fields, described as "underwater fairy chimneys," have appeared in Lake Van in the eastern province.

In Lake Van, considered the world's largest soda lake, water withdrawal continues to increase severely due to drought caused by climate change and global warming.

Within the scope of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry's efforts to combat drought, farmers across the country will receive training on protecting the quality and quantity of water resources and observing the usage balance.

The ministry will implement measures to ensure food safety against climate change within the scope of combating drought.