Turkey faced one of the most devastating droughts in decades. Rainfall dropped around 30% across the country with some areas specifically receiving significantly less rain than normal. Due to this unexpected decrease in rainfall, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs that supply the people in Turkey with drinking water are seeing dangerously low water levels. Scientists commented that the sudden change of weather and increasing temperature due to global warming made the drought crisis worse.
Some cities are impacted especially hard. Reservoirs in Istanbul are having water falling below 20% of their capacity which caused lots of worries and fear that there would be long term water shortages. Water cuts are applied to certain areas such as Askara which means that homes are restricted from using water at certain hours due to the extremely low water levels. In Burasa, reservoirs are basically empty with some falling near 1% of the capacity. People in Turkey are restricted from using water at certain times due to water scarcity at the moment and are forced to conserve water.
Not only for daily use, the drought had negatively impacted farm productions. Steady irrigation is required for crops, so with the lack of water, some water-intensive crops are struggling to stay alive. The drier land also brought higher chances for desertification for the farmlands which means that the soil is completely dried up and unable to be used as farmland. According to the United Nations, 88% of the farmland in Turkey is at risk of desertification if the drought continues and no solution is found.
Turkey’s situation today can be seen as a warning that the rapid change in temperature due to the rising temperature around the planet could cause more similar issues. With more advanced techniques and technology in agriculture and farming, farmers might have an easier time, but droughts and lack of natural resources could be a repeating issue in the near future.
