06.07.2025 10:40
The driest year in the last 65 years is being experienced in Hatay. Yayladağı Mayor Mehmet Yalçın stated that the water level in the Yayladağı Dam has dropped to 20%. With the drought affecting the dam that supplies agricultural and drinking water to the district, there are only 98 days' worth of water left for the district.
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In Hatay, known for its rainy weather and located at the foothills of the Amanos Mountains, drought is being experienced this year. According to meteorological data, the city, which did not receive enough rainfall during the winter and spring seasons, is experiencing the driest period in the last 65 years. Due to a 64% decrease in rainfall compared to last year, the water level in the Yayladağı Dam has dropped to 20%.
THE DISTRICT HAS 98 DAYS OF DRINKING WATER LEFT Yayladağı Mayor Mehmet Yalçın pointed out that there are only 98 days of drinking water left in the dam that supplies drinking water to the district center and 11 neighborhoods, urging citizens to conserve water. The water level in the dam, which is feeling the effects of drought, was also captured from the air.
"WE ARE EXPERIENCING THE DRIEST PERIOD IN THE LAST 65 YEARS" Yayladağı Mayor Mehmet Yalçın mentioned that various measures were taken during a workshop on drought, stating, "We are experiencing the driest period in the last 65 years. Currently, our water level in the Yayladağı Dam is around 20%. We cannot use water below 12% as drinking water. We distribute the water coming from the Yayladağı Dam to both the district center and our 11 neighborhoods. Unfortunately, we also have no well water in those areas due to fault lines. In the workshop we held, we emphasized the importance of water. Our expectation from our citizens in agricultural irrigation and drinking water consumption is to use water conservatively. Water is truly a great value, more valuable than gold. We are starting to use the tensiometer method in agricultural irrigation. From this period until October 5, we will be able to provide drinking water to our district from the Yayladağı Dam. Historically, it can be seen that there has been no rainfall during this period in previous years. Hopefully, it will rain, and we can get through this process, but it is a sign that we will face a significant drought. The most important thing we want to announce to our citizens is to use water conservatively," he said.
"WE HAVE A QUANTITY OF WATER THAT CAN PROVIDE 98 DAYS OF DRINKING WATER" Stating that there are 98 days of drinking water left in the Yayladağı Dam, Mayor Yalçın said, "We must not use network water for agricultural irrigation under any circumstances. For this, the teams of Hatay Metropolitan Municipality and Yayladağı Municipality are ensuring controls in the field. If our citizens use drinking water for agricultural irrigation, we have imposed both fines and a requirement for agricultural irrigation subscriptions. With drought and global warming, there has also been an increase in forest fires. Hopefully, we will have rain, and our water crisis will be resolved, but right now we are in a major crisis. We will try to overcome this year's drought with the studies we will conduct with HATSU, Yayladağı Municipality, and DSİ officials. We have a quantity of water in the Yayladağı Dam that can provide 98 days of drinking water. If evaporation calculations are included, it may decrease even further," he said.
"VERY LITTLE WATER IS LEFT IN OUR DAMS" Şenköy Neighborhood Muhtar Sait Döş stated that there have been significant withdrawals in the Yayladağı Dam due to drought, saying, "In previous years, our strawberry fields were irrigated with water from the dam, while the dam's filling rate was very high. This year, we are experiencing the driest period in 65 years, and our drinking water is not even sufficient. There is very little water left in our dam, and no additional water has come in. The water level in our dam has dropped to nearly 15 meters," he said.
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