Water crisis deepens in Ankara: Dam occupancy rates decline
It has emerged that the water crisis in Ankara is deepening. The occupancy rate of the dams meeting the capital's water needs has fallen from 39.93 percent to 17.39 percent over the last year. As water levels in the dams drop rapidly, a loss of approximately 24 million cubic meters of water has been recorded in the last month alone.
12punto
Water levels in the dams that meet Ankara's drinking water needs have decreased significantly over the last year.
According to ASKİ data, while the total amount of water in the dams was 746 million 533 thousand cubic meters on March 11, 2024, this figure dropped to 431 million 840 thousand cubic meters as of March 11, 2025.
SERIOUS DECLINE IN THE LAST YEAR
While a serious decline has been observed in the amount of actively usable water over the last year, the active water reserve, which was 557 million 576 thousand cubic meters on March 11, 2024, fell to 242 million 883 thousand cubic meters on March 11, 2025. This situation caused the active water percentage to drop from 39.93 percent to 17.39 percent.
DECLINE CONTINUED IN THE LAST MONTH
According to ASKİ data, water levels in the dams continued to fall within the last month as well. While the total amount of water was 456 million 210 thousand cubic meters on February 9, 2025, this figure fell to 431 million 840 thousand cubic meters as of March 9, 2025. In other words, a loss of approximately 24 million 370 thousand cubic meters of water occurred in the last month.
Similarly, the amount of actively usable water also decreased by 25 million 667 thousand cubic meters, falling from 268 million 550 thousand cubic meters on February 11, 2025, to 242 million 883 thousand cubic meters on March 11, 2025. These data show that the drought is continuing at a serious level not only on an annual basis but also on a monthly basis.