Occupancy rate of Istanbul's dams has been announced

The occupancy rate in the dams supplying water to the megacity was measured at 59.49 percent as of today.

The water amounts were recorded as 28.08 percent in Alibey, 56.23 percent in Büyükçekmece, 61.38 percent in Darlık, 64.17 percent in Elmalı, 39.67 percent in Istrancalar, 30.85 percent in Kazandere, 41.33 percent in Pabuçdere, 53.98 percent in Sazlıdere, 72.82 percent in Terkos, and 65.11 percent in Ömerli.

So far this year, 319.97 million cubic meters of water have been received from Melen and Yeşilçay. The amount of water supplied to the city from drinking water treatment plants this year was calculated at 654 million 82 thousand cubic meters.

The amount of precipitation that has fallen into the dams so far this year has been 359.68 kilograms per square meter.

While the dams and ponds supplying water to the city have a storage capacity of 868 million 683 thousand cubic meters, the water amount was recorded as 518.73 million cubic meters as of today.

As of yesterday, the amount of water supplied to the city in Istanbul was 3 million 245 thousand cubic meters, with 1 million 188 thousand cubic meters of this water taken from regulators and 2 million 57 thousand cubic meters from dams.

OCCUPANCY RATES OF THE LAST 10 YEARS ANNOUNCED

According to İSKİ statistics, while the dam occupancy rates for July 28 were 19.34 percent in 2014, 79.06 percent in 2015, 63.08 percent in 2016, 71.88 percent in 2017, 73.38 percent in 2018, 69.36 percent in 2019, 58.13 percent in 2020, 68.02 percent in 2021, 67.47 percent in 2022, and 38 percent in 2023, today's rate was recorded as 59.49 percent.

CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros, a faculty member at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Department of Meteorological Engineering, stated in his explanation to an AA reporter that when looking at the water values and precipitation amounts in Istanbul's dams as of today, the lowest value of the last 10 years has occurred, and when looking at the occupancy rate in the dams, it is the 4th lowest value measured in the last 10 years.

Stating that in this situation, the effect of precipitation being high in some years and low in others due to its own structure over the years is significant, Toros said, "The fact that the lowest values of precipitation in dam regions are being experienced shows that we are intertwined with a serious drought and that we are experiencing a drought. In summary, we can attribute it to the decrease in the amount of precipitation."

Drawing attention to the conservation measures that should be taken against the decrease in the water level in the dams, Toros conveyed the following:

"The amount of water we have is certain, but the amount of water consumed daily is also certain. Currently, we use an average of 3.5 million cubic meters of water daily in Istanbul. Since we cannot multiply the water in the dams, all Istanbulites need to produce solutions on their own scale regarding how we can use the existing water more sparingly. Where do we use water the most? The summer period is hot, and we have a need to take showers. How can we use less water while showering? By replacing showerheads with water-saving ones. You can take a shower with 10 liters of water, or you can take one with 50 liters. This depends on your sensitivity and awareness. Where do we use water the most? We use it in toilets. With more controlled water consumption, instead of 3-4 liters every time you flush, we can perhaps do this with a 1, 2, 3-liter multi-stage flush system according to need."

'EVERY DROP OF WATER IS VALUABLE, LET US USE EVERY DROP BY COUNTING IT'

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Toros stated that Istanbul is in a very large area and has different regions, saying, "Our ancestors said, 'Drops make a lake.' You can try it at home; leave a faucet dripping, and you will see how much water flows in a day. Dripping can lead to the disappearance of Istanbul's dams. That is why we say that every drop of water is valuable. Let us use every drop by counting it, let us use it by realizing that every drop is important."

Noting that the water in the dams is not enough for Istanbul and that this situation is an Istanbul reality, Toros evaluated, "Even if the total water budget of Istanbul's dams were completely full, it would not reach 900 million cubic meters. Today we are talking about 3.5 million cubic meters. In 100 days it is 350 million cubic meters, in 300 days it exceeds 1 billion cubic meters. We use over 1 billion 100 thousand cubic meters of water annually."

'THE WATER LEVEL IN THE DAMS CONTINUES TO FALL EVERY DAY'

Pointing out that rainwater harvesting can be done in housing estates, parks, gardens, and different places, and that water can be collected in the winter season when water is abundant and used for watering plants and meeting the different needs of homes during hot days when it is needed, Toros expressed that every saving to be made regarding water will both contribute to the economy and allow the water in the dams to be used for a longer term as the water need decreases across Istanbul.

Noting that July, August, and September are the periods when Istanbul receives the least precipitation, Toros concluded his words as follows:

"Our precipitation starts to increase slowly in October. Therefore, we still have the months of August and September ahead of us. When we look at past data here, we see that the precipitation that will bring water to Istanbul's dams did not happen in the past. We receive serious downpours from time to time these days, but this water is not reflected in the dams. The water level in the dams continues to fall every day. Because the ground is hot and the soil is dry, these summer rains mostly meet the water needs of that region in the area where they are located or evaporate and disappear. Our probability of receiving significant precipitation until November or December looks a bit low based on past data. Therefore, we can all increase our efforts together on how we can use the water we have more efficiently."