By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan who started the Zero Waste movement in Turkiye with the U.N. has urged the Turkish public to be cautious about using water resources since reserves are in danger of running low due to climate change. On Sunday, Erdogan, the recipient of the “Climate and Development Leadership Reward” commented on her social media account that the amount of precipitation in the last three months dropped by 40.6% and 31% in comparison to the same time last year. The most dangerous issue is the cubic meter decline of water in reservoirs which plummented from 860 mcm to 260 mcm.
The First Lady said predictions indicate water resources to decline by 25% during the next century. As Erdogan commented: “Using water efficiently is a civic duty for all of us. The first step of our national struggle has already been taken with the Water Efficiency Campaign, which started under the leadership of our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Join us to fight the unseen disaster. Let’s conserve water together,” Erdogan wrote on Twitter. Her appeal came several days before the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (ISKI) reported that dam water levels dropped to 32.25% last Friday because of a lack of rainfall. It’s not just dams in or around Istanbul but other provinces including the western regions of Tekirdag, Edirne and Kiriklareli that have been affected. A drought alarm for Istanbul and Turkiye was sounded a decade ago when scientists and experts warned of this exact situation that is facing the country right now.
