Droughts are not uncommon in Turkey. However, the country has been suffering from them more and more often lately. The largest Lake Van lost two square kilometers of area.
Ali Kalchik takes his usual walk and gazes, with a certain pride, at the vast, blue lake Van. “One fifth of Turkey’s reeds are here, in this area. The reeds are a natural wastewater treatment plant on the shores, hence they are considered the protector of Lake Van,” he says. However, as noted Kalcik, president of an organization that works to protect Lake Van and the climate in the region, the lake has already lost much of its reeds in recent years due to tourism development, climate change, heat and drought.
In July, scientists found that the largest lake in Turkey lost two square kilometers of surface. It remains to be seen whether this situation is merely temporary. To the locals, Lake Van in the east of the country is not considered just a “lake”, but a… sea, as its area is about 3,700 square kilometers. Its water level depends mainly on rainfall.
According to the latest information from the State Meteorological Office of the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Cities and Climate Protection, many regions of Turkey have been suffering from drought since August 2020. Anatolian regions, as well as the eastern Mediterranean, have been particularly affected by her, while the situation is worse in the south-east of the country. This area is completely black on the ministry’s map – black being the highest ranking on the drought scale.
The importance of protecting water resources
For Professor Farouk Alendinoglu from the University of Van, existing water resources should be protected, which is not the case: Increasingly, farmers in the area around the lake rely on underground water sources to feed their fields and water their livestock due to water scarcity. And Professor Alentinoglu warns: “We are already consuming the emergency reserves of the future.”
The decrease in rainfall makes the situation even more dangerous, the scientist emphasizes. Winter snow has turned to rain, while spring rains are often completely absent. However, water is essential for an area that relies mainly on agriculture, fishing and tourism. Van province is already one of the poorest regions in the country. Among Turkey’s 81 cities, the 2020 ranking placed it third worst in terms of gross domestic product. However, many believe that Lake Van could be an oasis not only for the region, but also for the neighboring countries of Iran and Iraq.
Ali Kalchik demands a halt to tourism development, which attracts many Iranian visitors to Van every year. He also points out that the drainage system should not end up in the lake. Every day, more than 457,000 cubic meters of sewage end up in the lake, he reports indignantly. Rivers that flow through residential areas are also polluted. If this continues, along with the drought, Lake Van will end up being a mudflat, he says.
DW – Elmas Toptsu, Felat Bozarslan/ Chrysa Vakhcevanou
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