Türkiye is experiencing extreme droughts as dams across the nation’s main cities have reached low ranges amid an absence of rainfall and an unusually heat winter stemming from international local weather change.
The present situation has raised alarms within the main Turkish cities together with Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir as they extremely rely on freshwater reservoirs.
Earlier this month, the precipitation decreased by 51.8% in Istanbul. The lack of water storage in dams is pushing the town towards a disaster, based on the statements of the Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS).
Izmir
Izmir, Türkiye’s third-largest metropolis, which lies on the Aegean coast, fears a extreme drought and no prospects of precipitation anytime quickly this 12 months.
The apprehensions emerged when the remnants of the previous settlement had been visibly seen after the water stage decreased in Izmir’s Tahtalı Dam amid the driest 12 months since 2009 mentioning that 2023 is the fifth driest 12 months within the final 23 years.
The photographs of Tahtalı Dam, which is the most important dam in Izmir and meets a lot of the metropolis’s water wants, raised issues amongst residents. While the water stage within the dam drops visibly, specialists concern that if there isn’t any rain, solely 300 days of water stay in Tahtalı.
Commenting concerning the current scenario, the Head of the Water Treatment Department of the General Directorate of Izmir Water and Sewage Administration (IZSU) Hakan Alpsoykan mentioned: “We experienced bad situations in 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2009, but this is the worst year of all. The rainy season is not over yet. I hope we get more rain.”
Highlighting the newest scenario in Izmir’s different dams, Alpsoykan defined: “We currently have 3.14 million cubic meters of water in Balçova Dam, with a 39% of occupancy. Last year, there was 5.89 million cubic meters of water. There is a decrease of 35% considering the regions fed by the dam, with only 150 days’ water capacity remaining in the dam if there is no rain. While the capacity of Çeşme Kutlu Aktaş Dam is 7.57 million cubic meters of water with 36% of active occupancy. Whereas last year, it was 14.7 million cubic meters of water with 88% of active occupancy rate recorded.”
Samsun
Samsun, located on the northern coast of Türkiye and a serious Black Sea port, can be experiencing the driest interval of the 12 months. The water stage in some dams has decreased due to the low precipitation. For occasion, Çakmak Dam, which provides ingesting water to Samsun, is now left with 79.5% of whole ingesting water.
According to the specialists, a warning has been issued because the hazard of drought continues to linger in Türkiye. Pointing out to a false spring that passed off within the final days of February, specialists defined that the sudden improve and reduce within the temperatures play an necessary position in altering the occupancy price of some dams and a rise in others.
This is the explanation that Çakmak Dam, which meets the ingesting water wants of virtually the entire Samsun metropolis middle had a 100% occupancy price final 12 months and is now measured with 79.5% in February 2023. Meanwhile, the water stage of the Suat Uğurlu Dam on the Yeşilırmak River, which was 77.8% full final 12 months, was recorded at 57.5% this 12 months. The water stage in Hasan Uğurlu Dam, which was measured at 44.8% in 2022, decreased to 37.6% in 2023.
The water stage of the Duruçay Dam, which was 75.8% in February final 12 months, dropped to 39.7 in February 2023. The occupancy price of Derbent Dam, positioned on the Kızılırmak River, which was 93.8% final 12 months, decreased to 88.5%.
The water stage rose in Altınkaya and Vezirköprü Dams in Samsun. The occupancy price of Altınkaya Dam, which is positioned on the Kızılırmak River and is likely one of the largest dams in Türkiye, whose water stage was measured as 21.5% in February 2022, elevated to 46.3% in February 2023.
The occupancy of Vezirköprü Dam, which was 29% final 12 months, was recorded as 76.1% in February this 12 months.
It appears that the nation will expertise these dry durations extra incessantly. Hence, it is time to unfold consciousness concerning the conservation of water. The authorities ought to evaluate their administration and customers must be heedful of their water utilization habits.
Given the drastic local weather adjustments, we’ve got to adapt to new dwelling habits and be extra aware about conserving our surroundings, the specialists concluded.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
