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01.09.2025 23:40
The water levels of dams in Turkey have decreased compared to previous years due to reduced rainfall and drought caused by climate change. While many cities are facing the threat of drought, alarm bells have also started ringing in major cities like Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.
The water levels of dams in Turkey have decreased compared to previous years due to reduced rainfall and drought caused by climate change. Experts calling for precautions have urged for water conservation.
In recent years, the lack of rainfall and drought related to climate change have also affected water resources. In Turkey, where temperature records have been broken this summer, the water levels of dams have dropped. While experts are calling for the efficient use of water, local governments have started to take measures in this regard.
HERE IS THE CURRENT SITUATION BY PROVINCE
The water level of the dams supplying water to the megacity Istanbul, which was 45.79% on September 1 last year, was measured at 39.98% during the same period this year. In the capital Ankara, the water amount in the dams was 606 million 945 thousand cubic meters on August 31 last year, while it decreased to 291 million 323 thousand cubic meters during the same period this year. The water level, which was 38.28% last year, has dropped to 18.38% this year.
WATER LEVELS IN DAMS IN IZMIR HAVE ALSO DROPPED
In Izmir, the water level in the dams is decreasing day by day due to drought and lack of rainfall. As part of the measures taken to ensure that the drinking water reserves in the dams are used carefully until the rainy season and to prevent large-scale water cuts, planned water cuts have been implemented across the city since August 6. According to the data from the Izmir Water and Sewerage Administration (İZSU), the water level in Tahtalı Dam, which supplies a large portion of the drinking water in Izmir, where an average of 700 thousand cubic meters of water is consumed daily, has dropped to 5.67%. The water level in Alaçatı Kutlu Aktaş Dam is 0.64%, Ürkmez Dam is 6.28%, Balçova Dam is 16.14%, and in Güzelhisar Dam, it is measured at 53.2%. There is no water left in the Gördes Dam this year.
"CAVES HAVE STARTED IN THE KÜÇÜK MENDERES BASIN"
Prof. Dr. Doğan Yaşar, a member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Environmental, Biodiversity, and Climate Change Working Group, stated, "From 2010 to 2022, our dams in Izmir were 80% full. However, mistakes were made. Water was drawn from wells while the dams were full. This is why Izmir uses the most expensive water. Because a lot of energy is consumed when drawing from wells. Water should have been drawn from the dam when it was full. Aquifers should have been rested. We have drawn 60% of the water from wells every time. Unfortunately, our wells have gone deep. 220 thousand cubic meters of water is drawn from under Manisa every day, and we have dried up Gölmarmara. Caves have started in Manisa due to incorrect water usage.
We knew that drought was coming, and we said that plans B and C for water should be implemented. In America, England, Germany, and Spain, watering lawns, filling pools, and watering water-intensive plants have been banned. Everyone took precautions, but we did not. It occurred to us to take precautions only when the water ran out. For a few years, let’s not eat fruits that require a lot of water, like apples or pears, so that aquifers can recover. Lakes should start to hold water again; due to the wrong product pattern policies in agriculture, the lakes region has become a desert region. The Konya Plain has become a sinkhole plain. Right now, caves have started in the Küçük Menderes Basin, and the entire underground of Turkey is being emptied," he said.
BODRUM, A TOURISM DISTRICT, IS ALSO AFFECTED BY DROUGHT
The water levels in the Geyik and Mumcular dams supplying water to the Bodrum district of Muğla have decreased. Noting that water will be needed if rainfall does not come in the fall, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ceyhun Özçelik, Head of the Water Resources Department of the Civil Engineering Faculty at MSKÜ, stated, "The lack of rainfall across the country has now become noticeable in our coastal areas. There has been an average drought of about 26% in our country over the past 9 months. This also affects our reservoirs. Cities with inadequate urban infrastructure are more affected. Bodrum is one of these points. The water levels in the two drinking water sources, Geyik and Mumcular dams, have decreased in Bodrum."
"THE PUBLIC IS GETTING WATER FROM TANKERS"
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özçelik pointed out that the public is getting water from tankers, stating, "If the rains do not come in the fall, I can say that we may face serious drying in our dams. In previous years, water from Milas had been supplied to Bodrum. The water shortage can be addressed in terms of sources, but the main problem in Bodrum is not the amount of water in the sources but the inability to deliver water to the city. We are facing leaks in the transmission lines in the thousands. Due to the low pressure in the system, the water cannot be supplied to the upper points, and the city can remain without water for days," he said.
THE WATER LEVEL IN THE DAMS IN KONYA, THE GRAIN STORE OF TURKEY, IS AT A CRITICAL LEVEL
The water level in the dams in the Konya Plain, known as Turkey's grain store, has reached a critical point. The water amount in the Altınapa Dam, one of the dams supplying drinking water to Konya, has decreased to 3 million cubic meters. Prof. Dr. Fetullah Arık from Konya Technical University stated that one of the driest summers in the last 30-35 years is being experienced, saying, "The desired water volume has not been achieved in Afşar Dam, Bağbaşı Dam, and Bozkır Dam due to drought. The water level in Bağbaşı Dam has dropped significantly."
"WE HAVE LOST THE NATURAL HABITATS OF BIRDS"
Prof. Dr. Arık stated that natural life has also been harmed along with drying lakes, saying, "We have lost the natural habitats of birds in dry areas. We have serious drying lakes. We can mention Akşehir, Çavuşçu, and Meke Lake. But we are also facing very serious problems in our dams," he expressed.
THE DAMS IN ADANA AND HATAY HAVE ALSO SOUNDED THE ALARM
In Adana, where air temperatures are above seasonal norms, the active water levels in 5 of the 7 dams that meet drinking water and agricultural irrigation needs have visibly decreased, while there has been a slight increase in 2 of them. In Hatay, the water level in the Karaçay Dam, which supplies drinking water to the districts of Antakya, Defne, and Samandağ, has dropped to 13%.
ISLANDS FORMED AT GÖLKÖY DAM IN BOLU
The Gölköy Dam Lake, which meets Bolu's drinking and utility water needs, reached a 100% fill rate with the melting of snow in spring. Due to hot weather, reduced rainfall, and the use of water for agricultural irrigation, the dam's fill rate has dropped to around 25%. Areas where the water has receded have become visible, and islands have formed.
VAN ALSO RECEIVED ITS SHARE FROM THE DROUGHT
Van has also received its share from the drought. A decrease in water levels has been observed in the Zernek, Sarımehmet, Koçköprü, and Morgedik dam lakes, which provide water to the city like Lake Van. Nihat Yılmaz, who works as a fisheries engineer at the facility producing trout in the dam, stated that trout production is carried out for 8 months of the year in the Zernek Dam Lake, where cage fish farming is done, and said, "If this continues, we may face the same problem we encountered in 2021-2022. At that time, fish and other living beings died, and oxygen levels dropped to a peak point," urging for precautions to be taken.
DAM RETREATED, VILLAGE CAME TO LIGHT
The fill rate of the Pusat Özen Dam, which also supports the city’s water supply in Sivas and saw a significant drop in water level last year, did not reach the expected level this year despite heavy snowfall and spring rains. With the decrease in water, the old Pusat village, which was submerged, resurfaced last year. Due to the drying in the areas where water has receded, the remains of the old village have become easily accessible. Dr. Fatih Kartal, a faculty member at Sivas Cumhuriyet University (SCÜ), stated that agricultural irrigation has a significant impact on dams, saying, "Due to Sivas's semi-arid and arid topography, very serious agricultural policies need to be implemented here. Significant revisions of agricultural land must be made."
'WATER CITY' BURSA'S DAM FILL RATE IS 14.29
In Bursa, the water city defined by Evliya Çelebi in his travelogue with the words, "The beauty of its water and air makes the faces of the people of Bursa red. In short, Bursa is made of water," the average fill rate of the dams has dropped to 14.29%. The water levels of the Doğancı Dam and Nilüfer Dam, which meet the drinking water needs of the city with a population of 3 million 271 thousand, have decreased.
DROUGHT IS ALSO PRESENT IN TRAKYA
Drought has also manifested itself in Thrace. The water level in the Naip Dam, which provides drinking water to the Süleymanpaşa district of Tekirdağ, has fallen below 1%. Tekirdağ Water and Sewerage Administration (TESKİ) has called on citizens to conserve water. Additionally, the Yazır Pond, used for agricultural purposes in the city, has also reached the point of drying up due to drought.