The warning bells of climate change have been ringing all around the world for many years. Türkiye is among the most-at-risk nations facing such ecological threats, specifically drought, and it is expected to encounter a major water scarcity and further desertification by 2050, according to a study conducted by the World Resources Institute on the listing of countries under water stress in 2023.
Although the primary factor triggering the rate of drought in Türkiye is the rising temperatures caused by climate change, there are other human-caused components behind this catastrophic situation. Among the elements are deforestation—caused by forest fires and logging—endless urbanization, overuse and mismanagement of the water resources.
While each of these factors are witnessed frequently in Türkiye, the Turkish government lacks taking the necessary action upon the issue. As a result, Türkiye currently wrestles with the tragic loss of its natural ecosystem resources, such as forests, lakes, and ultimately, its once fertile soil.
Every year, especially in summer, forest fires occur in Türkiye. Regardless of its underlying cause, officials have been criticized for not successfully managing the situation after every fire, considering some have lasted for weeks. For instance, in summer 2021, Türkiye witnessed its largest forest fires in history in Antalya and Muğla. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was late to react and send technological fire fighting planes to extinguish the fires on time. This plane crisis demonstrates a clear image of the governments’ inadequate efforts in minimizing the devastating effects of forest fire disasters.
The opposing party at the time, CHP, raised concerns about the insufficient number and capabilities of the amphibious planes that were sent to Antalya and Muğla after days of delay. At one point, they even remarked that the planes were not sent due to the region’s political view. Although journalists reported at the time that THK (Turkish Aeronautical Association) had planes available to put out the fires, president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that the association did not have an aircraft suitable for the region that could be used easily, and thus, no aircraft was sent to the area. The governing party, AKP, pointed out that the criticism of CHP and journalists did not reflect the reality and in fact caused unnecessary panic. Minister Ekrem Pakdemirli further emphasized that they managed the fires and ceased them hastily, despite the media reporting that the Manavgat region kept burning for days.
After facing such a scandal, the authorities stated that they increased the number of firefighting planes and strengthened the coordination plans. However, recent fires in İzmir and its vicinities prove that there is still a long way to go until successful risk management. The fires, once again, lasted for days and many fertile fields were lost due to poor management.
Another controversial aspect which worsens the effects of the fires is turning the burnt sites to urban construction projects. An example of this would be the decision announced by Resmi Gazete on August 31, 2024 about the regions affected by forest fires. Around 375 hectares of land in İzmir’s Bayraklı district have been removed from forest status and opened up for potential development after getting significantly damaged during the wildfires.
The İzmir Municipality stated that they will take immediate legal action to revoke the decision and protect the lands for future opportunities to re-green the area. Though its future status remains unknown at the moment, it is widely known that this wasn’t the first time the government opened burnt forest sites to urbanization, rather than rebuilding its natural form. The same had happened following the 2021 Marmaris and 2017 Bodrum wildfires. Some journalists even raise suspicions whether these kinds of fires are intentionally set to clear the land for construction purposes, such as luxurious hotels or housing projects.
Another concrete evidence of the ongoing drought cycle in Türkiye is the drying up of lakes. Dr. Erol Kesici, the scientific advisor of the Türkiye Nature Conservation Association (TTKD), announced that 186 out of 240 lakes in Türkiye have entirely dried up in the last 60 years due to climate change, uncontrolled agricultural irrigation and excessive water extraction. The remaining ones, on the other hand, have lost their lake characteristics and are severely affected by drought and pollution while also facing the risk of further rapid degradation. “Currently, we cannot point to even one lake in Türkiye that can be considered healthy.”, he stated.
Meyil Obruk Lake is one of the most recent victims of drought. The lake in Konya, which used to turn pink during the summer months, had become famous as a natural landmark. In 1970, Prof. Dr. Yaşar Eren from Konya Technical University measured the lake to have a diameter of 650 meters and a water depth of 31 meters. Now, only a little over 50 years later, the lake has completely dried up. It used to be the largest water-containing lake in Türkiye.
Another example of this loss is the Marmara Lake in Manisa. Once an alluvial dam lake encompassing nearly hectares, Marmara Lake dried up in August 2021. The loss of the lake negatively impacted the biodiversity of the region as well. The lake not only housed two endemic fish species, it also contained over 100 different types of birds, one of which was the Dalmatian pelican, a species that is vulnerable for extinction.
Furthermore, the shrinkage of the lake brought attention to the failings of the State Hydraulic Works. As citizens gathered in hopes to save the lake, Nature Association Board Chair Dicle Tuba Kılıç expressed, “It is neither the climate crisis nor the drought that dried up Lake Marmara; it is the fact that the State Hydraulic Works (DSI) designed and built the Gördes Dam without securing the lake’s water. DSI dried up a lake that is an Important Nature Area despite the Ramsar Convention being in effect.” This comment highlighted the failures of the government and organizations in charge of natural conservation.
Unfortunately, the rate that these lakes are drying up does not seem like it is going to stop any time soon. Lake Eğirdir and Lake Beyşehir, the latter being the largest fresh-water lake in Türkiye, have both lost a significant amount of water in the last 30 years. Lake Eğirdir went from a water depth of 14 meters to 3 while Lake Beyşehir lost 20 meters of its depth, from 25 to 3.5 meters. As distressing as the matter currently is, experts report that it will continue to get worse. According to the State Hydraulic Works, Lake Eğirdir will split in half BY 2028.
From an ecological point of view, drought leads to the extinction of biodiversity. While the wildlife animals cannot find sufficient food and water due to desertification or lose their habitats and even lives to fires, aquatic creatures decline in number due to chemical intoxication with polluted water, swamp formation by the excessive growth of micro and macro water plants, and invasive species upon lake basins.
Due to its unpredictable lingering hostile nature, drought prevents lands to bear fruit and in the long run, make them lose their entire fertility. Farmers may seem the first to get affected by this outcome, but in a bigger picture, the whole country’s destiny shifts. The farmers’ not having a fruitful seasonal reaping results in a greater undesired outcome, which makes local market prices go up. Since the country cannot produce its own agricultural products sufficiently and has to cater to almost 87 million people, it becomes dependent on imported goods, which are naturally more expensive. Türkiye is currently facing the danger of having a farmers' crisis and becoming completely dependent on other countries’ agricultural productivity, while losing its once blessed lands each day.
The Turkish government has attempted to combat the drought threatening to overtake the country. On the 30th of January, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry came up with a road map for a 5 year plan in combating agricultural drought. The "2023-2027 Türkiye Agricultural Drought Combat Strategy and Action Plan" has several different aims including the implementation of a crisis management program based on the agricultural drought reports, converting existing irrigation systems to closed systems for water savings, establishing an “agricultural yield and monitoring system” for predicting drought crises, increasing the water holding capacity of water tanks, and creating an irrigation database.
Though the government has started working on projects to increase the yield of dams, their efforts are not expected to bear fruit until 2028. However, in light of the recent loss of lakes and constant forest fires, the government might want to spend some time considering other factors that affect the forming of drought.
For instance, land-use policies, planning, and management could be updated to eliminate the risk of uncontrolled fire. A more efficient crisis management plan could be created for the initial response when a fire is detected to limit the damage. Additionally, measures tackling human factors that trigger drought should also be looked into. Containing uncontrolled urbanization through careful city planning to create areas that not only accommodate people but also nature to ensure the correct usage of water resources could be explored.
The threat of global drought continues to grow larger every day, and it is crucial to take action today to improve the future. The concerning rise in deforestation and the alarming rate at which lakes are drying up represents only snippets of the water scarcity that the country will be dealing with in a few years. However, there is still time to act. If the government prioritizes taking action immediately, the factors that trigger drought can be mitigated. It is not impossible for dried up lakes to be replenished and forests to revive; but to increase green fields and wetlands, the administration has to put in the necessary effort.
Edited By: Melisa Altıntaş, Oya Yamaç