Considering the speedy enhance in Türkiye’s inhabitants and industrial exercise, it’s estimated that it’ll transition from a water-stressed to a water-poor nation by 2030, as drought is likely one of the nation’s greatest issues in the present day and can proceed to impression its future.
Türkiye is positioned within the Mediterranean basin, one of many areas enormously affected by the local weather disaster. In addition, precipitation is anticipated to lower by near 30% by the top of this century. Reduced rainfall will create a big water scarcity for many metropolitan cities. Today, the occupancy fee of the dams in cities resembling Istanbul, Izmir and Bursa is at its lowest.
While Türkiye could obtain near-normal precipitation subsequent 12 months, precipitation issues could come up in different components of the world. For instance, the state of California within the United States has been combating extreme drought in recent times. Still, this winter, the state has skilled heavy rainfall. Therefore, specialists say we should regulate to those fluctuations and take measurements to keep away from potential disasters brought on by local weather change.
Adaptation measures
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), professor Levent Kurnaz, director of Boğaziçi University’s Climate Change and Policy Application and Research Center, stated: “We have to take measures to reduce the risk of drought in our country. But unfortunately, almost all of the measures taken or planned to be taken in our country so far are based on the argument that the drought is temporary and that there will be precipitation. But unfortunately, climate change will result in permanent changes in precipitation patterns. For this reason, the measures to be taken must be permanent depending on the changes.”
According to the United Nations projections, city populations are anticipated to extend by 2 billion by 2050. However, this enhance is not going to be concentrated in in the present day’s huge cities however in medium-sized cities (with a inhabitants of 500,000 to 1 million). For this purpose, establishing the required infrastructure in areas with entry to water will cut back the injury brought on by local weather change and assure our future, Kurnaz defined.
“In addition, we should not forget that we use three-quarters of our water in agriculture, and methods such as drip irrigation, which reduce water use in agriculture, need to be implemented nationwide immediately. On the other hand, it is essential for the sustainability of our agricultural output that we become aware that the drought we are facing is not temporary and we must switch to a more drought-resistant agriculture pattern,” he additionally identified.
The area is getting drier with every passing 12 months, regularly revealing exterior components that require preparation. Increasing temperatures and lowering precipitation make meals manufacturing tough. However, regardless of these unfavorable components, inhabitants progress continues unabated.
“The situation in the surrounding countries is more critical than in ours. In contrast, the expected mass loss due to drought and heat waves will result in the migration of many communities in our nearby geography to more favorable areas. The fact that our country is also on these migration routes and that the European Union has closed its borders may expose our country to many climate refugees soon,” Kurnaz added.
The local weather disaster just isn’t a problem just one space of experience can consider and put together for. “Assessing this issue’s many dimensions, from agriculture to foreign policy, water resources to national security, and producing solutions will help us guarantee our future,” he emphasised.
Izmir
Professor Azize Ayol, a lecturer at Dokuz Eylül University’s (DEÜ) Faculty of Environmental Engineering Department in Izmir, stated, “Taking into account the rapid increase in Türkiye’s population and industrial activities, it is estimated that there will be a transition from water-stressed to water-poor for many countries by 2030.”
“According to the world water reports published regularly by the U.N., one-fourth of the world’s population currently has access to healthy water, and world resources should be handled holistically. Therefore, sustainable approaches should be put forward in all activities that may adversely affect all components of the water, air and soil ecosystems,” Ayol stated.
Evaluating the drought map information of Türkiye, Ayol acknowledged that “very severe,” “severe” or “moderate” droughts are being recorded throughout central Anatolia, the Marmara area, southeast Anatolia, in addition to close to the Black and Aegean seas. In addition, a extreme drought has additionally been famous throughout most of Izmir.
In explicit, growing and implementing applied sciences to deal with wastewater and reuse it is necessary. Therefore, coverage and motion plans for scientific and relevant applied sciences must be given precedence based mostly on water sources all through the nation, Ayol stated.
Speaking about probably the most harmful areas by way of water sources in Türkiye, Ayol stated: “Apart from the striking examples of drought, such as the drying lakes, the unbalanced ecosystem in the Black Sea region and sinkholes in Konya’s plains, due to the lack of sufficient irrigation water in almost all agricultural basins, in some places, our farmers are changing their crop patterns and switching from irrigated farming to water-conscious farming practices.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
