DMM announces the amount of water loss expected in the Sazlıdere Dam project

In a statement made from the DMM's social media account, it was noted that various manipulation campaigns have been carried out regarding a decision taken in 2022 concerning the Sazlıdere Dam in Istanbul, and that it has been determined that an attempt is being made to create a perception that this decision will "cause a water crisis" in Istanbul.

The statement, which noted that data regarding Istanbul's water resources and water consumption refutes claims that the Kanal Istanbul Project or the 24 thousand social housing project built to meet the needs of low-income citizens will "condemn Istanbul to water scarcity," included the following expressions:

"When the decision dates are taken into account, it is clearly seen that the work within the scope of the projects has nothing to do with 'anyone's detention.' According to 2024 data, Istanbul's annual water consumption is approximately 1 billion 162 million cubic meters. The current yield of the Sazlıdere Dam is 51 million cubic meters per year. When the Kanal Istanbul Project is activated, 61 percent of the resources feeding the Sazlıdere Dam will remain within the Canal, but the remaining 39 percent will be protected.

The impact of water loss in the part of the Sazlıdere Dam remaining within the project area due to the Kanal Istanbul Project on Istanbul as a whole is at the level of 3 percent.

The amount of water provided to the province of Istanbul just since the beginning of the year is 338 million cubic meters. A total of 287 million cubic meters of water has been provided to Istanbul through regulators built by the DSI, with 212 million cubic meters from the Melen Regulator and 75 million cubic meters from the Yeşilçay Regulator."

The statement, which included information that the current occupancy rate of Istanbul's dams is at the level of 82.10 percent, conveyed that work is continuing on various projects by the DSI General Directorate to create additional water resources and storage facilities on the European side for future needs.

The statement, which included the expression, "As can be understood from the data, comments that the decision taken regarding the Sazlıdere Dam could 'cause a water crisis in Istanbul' are intended to manipulate public opinion," noted the following:

"On the other hand, the decision regarding the Sazlıdere Dam is not a recently made decision. A cooperation protocol was prepared with the contributions of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and within the scope of this protocol, the issue of 'removing the Sazlıdere Dam from the drinking water reserve' was expressed. In this direction, the drinking water purpose of the Sazlıdere Dam was removed on September 15, 2022."

News Source: AA