STORY: Istanbul faces water shortage due to severe drought
DATELINE: July 6, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:48
LOCATION: ISTANBUL, Türkiye
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Istanbul
2. various of the Department of Water and Wastewater Technologies of ISKI in Istanbul
3. various of dams in Istanbul

STORYLINE:

Türkiye's largest city of Istanbul is facing a shortage of water resources due to a severe drought that has hit the country since last year, the municipal authorities said Thursday.

Water capacities of the Kazandere, Pabucdere and Alibey dams, which supply water to the country's most populous city Istanbul, have dropped drastically due to insufficient rainfall, said the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Directorate (ISKI).

ISKI data showed the filling capacity of the Kazandere dam is currently at 5.77 percent, with Pabucdere at 4.22 percent and Alibey at 23.79 percent. The combined water reservoir volume of all 10 dams in Istanbul is down to 42.74 percent, from 72.01 percent in the same period last year.

An aerial photograph captured by the Demiroren news agency indicates the Kazandere dam is becoming dry and covered in grass.

Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, expressed concerns about the limited water resources of the city, emphasizing that insufficient precipitation has further exacerbated the situation. Istanbul, with a population of over 20 million people, consumes 1.1 billion cubic meters of water annually.

Precipitation across Türkiye has not been at the desired levels since last year, and drought aligned with scorching weather has affected a large part of the country this summer.

Professor Levent Kurnaz, director of Bogazici University Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies, said the drought will cause almost 20 percent less rainfall in the next 50 years not only in Türkiye but across the world.

Due to climate change and global warming, each season will be warmer compared to the past, he said. "Therefore, we need to start learning to live with less water," Kurnaz was quoted as saying by the Haberturk daily.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Istanbul, Türkiye.
(XHTV)