Drought alarm at Büyükçekmece Lake

In Istanbul, aerial footage has revealed that a large part of Büyükçekmece Lake, one of the city's water sources, has dried up. 

Despite water conservation warnings issued by the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ), the city's daily water consumption remains above 3 million cubic meters. The lack of sufficient rainfall and unconscious water usage continue to cause water levels to drop rapidly.

It was understood from occupancy data that the short-term rainfall in recent weeks did not contribute to the occupancy rates. The occupancy rate of Büyükçekmece Lake has fallen to 4 percent. A large part of the Çamaşır stream, which provides water to the lake, has also dried up.

The lake's water level continues to drop rapidly every day. The danger of drought has been laid bare by aerial footage. It was observed that the Çamaşır stream leading to the lake and the northern parts of the lake have dried up even more.

According to İSKİ data, the occupancy rates of Sazlıdere and Kazandere Dams have fallen to 6 percent, while Büyükçekmece has dropped to 3.97 percent and Papuçdere to 3.51 percent, all hovering around the 4 percent level. A decline to 22 percent was observed in the Alibey and Istrancalar Dams, 16 percent in the Elmalı Dam, and 9.77 percent in the Terkos Dam. The Darlık Dam is currently Istanbul's second-fullest dam with an occupancy rate of 31.62 percent. The dam with the highest occupancy rate in Istanbul is the Ömerli Dam, at 43.55 percent.

News Source: İHA

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