Drought alarm in that province! Dams are about to dry up

The occupancy rates in dams that meet Izmir's water needs have fallen to critical levels. In particular, the occupancy rate in Tahtalı Dam, the city's most important drinking water source, has halved compared to last year, dropping to 15.44 percent.

Izmir's water needs are met by Tahtalı, Balçova, Ürkmez, Güzelhisar, Gördes and Alaçatı Kutlu Aktaş dams and underground resources. However, this year, due to the cold weather, there was not enough rain and there was a drought. For this reason, a decrease was observed in the water levels in the dams. According to the data of the Metropolitan Municipality Water and Sewerage Administration (İZSU) General Directorate, especially in Tahtalı Dam, which is Izmir's main drinking water source and meets 30 percent of the city's water needs, the water level in the city's Tahtalı Dam, which was 32.14 percent in the same period last year, dropped to 15.44 percent. The water level of Balçova Dam, which was 69.97 percent last year, dropped to 36.81 percent, the occupancy rate of Ürkmez Dam, which was 41.78 percent, dropped to 27.28 percent this year, and the occupancy rate of Güzelhisar Dam, which was 88.67 last year, dropped to 69.93 percent this year. The water level in Gördes Dam, which was 11.93 percent last year, dropped to 6.10 percent this year. Finally, the occupancy in Alaçatı Kutlu Aktaş Dam, which was 44.94 percent last year, dropped to 20.76 percent.

'It doesn't rain in cold weather'

TÜBA Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Change Working Group Member Prof. Dr. Doğan Yaşar drew attention to the fact that the water level in Tahtalı Dam has dropped to 15.44 percent and said, This is a very low level. 40 percent of precipitation occurs in December, January and February. Dams become active during this period. We are approaching the end of February. There is still no serious precipitation. February was very cold. We experienced the coldest February of recent years. It does not rain in cold weather anyway. Last year, the water level in Tahtalı Dam was 32.14 percent these days. There is a serious difference of 17 percent. This means a water deficiency of 55-60 million cubic meters.

'There will be a period in between the two'

Prof. Dr. Doğan Yaşar emphasized that a serious La Nina period came after September, and said, "It seemed to return from time to time, but La Nina made itself felt seriously. This is the main reason for the cold. It will pass to neutral after April. Neither La Nina nor El Nino, a period in between the two will be experienced. A period in the seasonal average will be experienced. Rain will come after April. I expect that we will return to normal from the second half of March."

'Even if there is record rainfall, the occupancy rate will be 20 percent'

Stating that it is not possible for the dams to be filled in the coming months, Prof. Dr. Yaşar said, “I don’t think so, but it would be a miracle if the Tahtalı Dam’s filling rate exceeds 17 percent. If there is not much rain, the filling rate will drop to 2 percent like in 2008. The dam will dry up. I think the water filling rate in the dam will remain at 7 percent this summer. Even if there is record rainfall from now on, the filling rate will be 20 percent. There will be no more water,” he said. Emphasizing that the dry period has begun after the 2020s, Prof. Dr. Yaşar said, “The dams were 80 percent full at that time. We used water in wells then. We are currently using water from underground. We are going deeper to get water. Water taken from wells in Manisa from 50 meters is now taken from 500 meters. There is a tremendous energy consumption to extract water.”

'Water science experts should work in companies'

Prof. Dr. Yaşar, who drew attention to the fact that there is a department of water science called Hydrogeology, said, These experts should work at the water distribution company. They should decide. We should use water very carefully. A serious drought awaits us this summer. This is the last warning of nature to us. Prof. Dr. Yaşar also noted that İzmir is the province that uses the most expensive water in Turkey.