Environment: Türkiye is struggling with the climate crisis – holiday resort Bodrum without water

Environment
Türkiye is struggling with the climate crisis – holiday resort Bodrum without water

The once stately reservoir is now only a shadow of its former self. It has shrunk and lies in the middle of dry and cracked earth in the east of the Turkish holiday resort Bodrum. A measuring post gives an idea of ​​how high the water once stood; it stands empty. The Mumcular dam, along with another reservoir in the region, has been closed since mid-October and has become a symbol of the water shortage in the region.

This was not initially noticeable for tourists; it was only after the end of the season that the water in Bodrum was sometimes turned off for hours. The community opened new wells and carted drinking water to the residents in tanks. It’s raining now and then, but there’s already a lot of concern about next summer. During the holiday season, Bodrum’s population multiplies – a million people then have to be supplied with water, the municipality estimates.

Water shortages have been an issue for 30 years

“Due to the drought, we are experiencing a water shortage that is unprecedented in our history,” warned Mayor Ahmet Aras recently. Mirbahattin Demir, spokesman for the environmental organization Mucep in Bodrum, points out that water shortage has been an issue in the region for 30 years, but that it has reached a “completely different level” due to climate change. Homemade problems exacerbated the situation.

Bodrum is like a magnifying glass for the situation in many parts of Turkey. In addition to the Aegean, the Marmara region in particular is severely affected by drought. The dams around Istanbul are at an all-time low. In summer, Turkey struggled with intense heat. Even into November, temperatures were still above normal in some cases.

Heat causes soil water to evaporate

The drought has been going on for a year now, and the increased evaporation of soil water due to heat is exacerbating the drought, says Baris Önol, meteorology professor at Istanbul Technical University. However, the expected precipitation has so far failed to materialize. “If we experience this winter as dry as the last one, it will be difficult to survive the summer of 2024,” he says. This will also have a negative impact on the cultivation of fruit and vegetables.

There have been dry periods before. “The real problem is that the droughts are consecutive.” In his opinion, the media and the government should constantly call for austerity and inform about it, because when it comes to drought: “If you feel it, it’s already too late.”

He has little hope for political meetings such as the COP 28 world climate conference next week in Dubai. Climate change is primarily an economic problem and Turkey must also switch its production completely to renewable energies.

Turkey has signed the Paris Climate Agreement and wants to achieve climate neutrality by 2053. The share of solar and wind energy together amounted to 16 percent last year, plus around 20 percent hydropower. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly puts the issue of climate change on the agenda in view of extreme events such as heat and floods. However, his government is also criticized for pushing ahead with large-scale construction projects and sealing of areas. When environmentalists protested in the summer against the deforestation of the Akbelen forest, which had to make way for a brown coal-fired power plant, Erdogan also made it clear that he did not want to give up coal.

Around 30,000 private pools

The deforestation in Akbelen has in turn exacerbated the water shortage in Bodrum, says environmental activist Demir. According to official figures, around 18 million cubic meters of water were used in Bodrum last year. Around nine million of them were extracted from the groundwater in Akbelen and have now been lost, said Demir. The water from the dams is also used to cool three coal-fired power plants in the region. He demands that these must be switched off and replaced with solar energy.

Excessive water consumption through private pools and lawns is another homegrown problem. According to the municipality, there are around 30,000 pools in Bodrum. The mayor called on the owners not to empty them this winter but to use the cleaned water again. This would save 4.5 million cubic meters of water. However, the municipality has so far refrained from imposing a ban.

The fact that new wells are being dug is only a temporary solution and will exacerbate the problem in the long term, says Demir. He fears that excessive extraction of groundwater could cause drinking water to become salinized. At that point at the latest, Bodrum would also be damaged as a tourist location.

dpa