ISTANBUL: Inside Ismail Aydin’s control room at the Istanbul water management system, a bank of screens displays a concerning figure of 29.7 percent. This represents the current water reservoir capacity in Istanbul, which has dwindled after another scorching summer, leaving Turkiye’s largest city teetering on the brink of a potential disaster.
Aydin, maintaining a reassuring tone, aims to avoid causing panic, pointing out that the rainy season is on the horizon, and water levels are expected to rebound soon. Nevertheless, he acknowledges what the city’s official 16 million inhabitants and the estimated 20 million residents have been aware of for some time.
The head of the water and sewage administration remarks, “We’ve experienced an arid season. Water levels stood at 60 percent last year, but in 2014, they plummeted to 14 percent, marking the second-lowest level in the past decade,” according to AFP.
Istanbul is encompassed by a network of 11 dams that usually replenish with water during the heaviest rainfall in November and December. However, the ever-present concern for Aydin is the impact of global warming, driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, which alter weather patterns. This summer, Istanbul has seen scarce rainfall, and water consumption has surged due to the intense heat.
Turkiye recently endured its hottest July, with temperatures soaring to a historic 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 14. While specific plans are yet to be finalized, the city might transport additional water supplies by sea or road if the dams run dry, a grim possibility looming.
Istanbul’s predicament further exacerbates
Istanbul’s predicament is further exacerbated by its staggering growth. The city had nearly the same number of dams when its population was just over five million three decades ago, and water conservation was not a pressing issue.
Today, officials frequently appear in the media, urging Istanbulites to conserve water by all means possible. During an exceedingly scorching period, Aydin’s department sent a mass text message warning that the situation was becoming unsustainable.
Aydin states, “The storage capacity of our dams in Istanbul is approximately 868 million cubic meters. However, Istanbul’s annual consumption stands at 1.1 billion cubic meters. Istanbul’s dams simply do not hold enough water to last a year. The city relies on consistent rainfall, as our groundwater resources are insufficient.”
The absence of rain has transformed some parts of the now-depleted dams into vast meadows where sheep and goats graze on the city’s outskirts.
Pensioner Nejat Karakas, who spent his childhood around water, frequents the dams to pass the time. Leaning solemnly against the side of an upturned rowboat resting on the arid, cracked bed, he contemplates the effects of climate change.
“It saddens me. We’re unaccustomed to witnessing it like this,” the 68-year-old laments. “If there’s no rain between now and October, Istanbul could face some challenging days ahead.”
