Don't muddy the waters, find a solution!

This small piece of news, which will soon have a major impact, has not been on the public agenda!

“Three days ago, the state announced that water will not be provided to 50 percent of agricultural lands in the Büyük Menderes Basin, which contains some of Turkey’s richest farmland!

The Aydın Governor's Office announced that in 2025, only two irrigation rights will be granted to 50 percent of the agricultural lands in the Büyük Menderes Basin. In the remaining areas, a transition is being made from irrigated farming to dry farming!

The drought caused by the climate crisis has already hit agricultural products. The water levels in the dams of the Büyük Menderes Basin are at a critical point!

The General Directorate of Meteorology has published its February drought maps. Just like in January, a large part of the country is experiencing a “DROUGHT,” which is classified as an “emergency.”

This decision by the Aydın Governor's Office hit the producers like a wall right in the middle of production. Telling a producer who has switched from flood irrigation to drip irrigation due to water scarcity that “you have the right to a maximum of two irrigations” means putting the producer in a position of massive loss. While the Governor's Office is trying to manage the ongoing disaster, this decision, taken in the middle of the irrigation season, leaves the producer both in a very difficult situation and very alone.

Last year, I followed the trail of the impending water crisis in the Büyük Menderes Basin, Söke Plain, Aydın, and Manisa. Our documentary, SULAR BULANMADAN (Before the Waters Get Muddy), which explains that we are facing a major drought, emphasizes the need for urgent action and reveals all the facts through the testimonies of those living through the water crisis in its most brutal form today.

But unfortunately, it is too late.

The drought arrived in plain sight. The agricultural sector uses 75 percent of the water. But producers have not been included in any awareness program by the ministry regarding water usage. Producers want to switch to modern irrigation methods, to drip irrigation, very quickly on their own initiative because they know what is coming. Producers who have the money are making this investment. But what about those who don't?

They, too, have been left alone.

So, what does this decision by the Aydın Governor's Office tell the consumer?

The consumer will soon face a major food crisis. The prices of agricultural products will skyrocket. In fact, many basic food items may not even be available in the markets. If a solution to the water crisis cannot be found, famine will emerge within five years.

I am not saying this; scientists are.

European Union countries are working on waterless food production. Producers and consumers are being educated on water conservation. Environment, climate, climate crisis, and sustainability are among the most important issues in the world today.

While Turkey was once a water-rich country, it has very quickly become a country experiencing water scarcity.

The transition of all producers from flood irrigation to drip irrigation must be supported by the state as a matter of urgency.

The state should do its planning not on a desk, but by going out into the field. It should exempt producers who use drip irrigation from water restrictions.

Hüseyin Uncle, the protagonist of our documentary SULAR BULANMADAN, describes the dilemma producers are in on the ground so well today that we should listen to him;

“I went to the water administration, and they told me I only had the right to two irrigations. How can that be? I am already using drip irrigation. I use very little water. I couldn't explain my problem at all. I wrote to CİMER, and CİMER directed me to the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture directed me back to the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture. I told them to explain this to me. Don't you have an agricultural engineer? Let them explain why I am restricted to two irrigations with drip irrigation.”

The answer Hüseyin Uncle received is;

“What will the neighbor say?”

What do we care about that neighbor? I wish everyone used drip irrigation like I do, then that water would last us two years!

This is the best answer from Hakkı Uncle to those who try to turn the mill with carried water.

Don't muddy the waters, find a solution…