Lake Tuz is drying up! Water surface area has dropped to 1/10th

Located at the intersection of the borders of Ankara, Konya, and Aksaray provinces, Lake Tuz is among the important wetlands for the protection of biological diversity.

Home to thousands of birds, especially flamingos, Lake Tuz is shrinking day by day due to the lack of precipitation and the effects of global warming.

Recent research on Lake Tuz has determined that an area of approximately 9,000 hectares is currently filled with water.

Prof. Dr. Melayip Bilgin, a faculty member at Aksaray University's Faculty of Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, stated that the Central Anatolia Region is the area in Turkey that receives the least amount of precipitation.

Explaining that the part of this region that receives the least rainfall is Lake Tuz and its surroundings, Bilgin said:

"The impact of climate change is not limited to this region or our country; it is being felt all over the world. With climate change, precipitation is decreasing, temperatures are rising, and the world is warming. Various measures are being taken globally to address these climate changes. In the specific case of Aksaray and Lake Tuz, we have left behind a period where we received little rainfall this year as well. We will feel the effects of this low-precipitation period more in the coming months and next year."

Bilgin stated that there are various types of drought, including seasonal, agricultural, hydrological, meteorological, and socioeconomic.

Noting that all these droughts affect the region, Bilgin said, "The wetland area of Lake Tuz was around 93,000 hectares until the years between 1987 and 1990. By the 2000s, this area had dropped to 30,000 hectares. Currently, it is around 9,200 hectares. When Lake Tuz was around 93,000 hectares, it was the size of 130,000 football fields. Due to the effects of drought and climate change, it has shrunk to 13,000 football fields. In other words, the water-filled area of Lake Tuz appears to have remained at a ratio of 1/10th. As long as global warming continues and sufficient measures are not taken, it is predicted that this area will inevitably decrease even further."

Bilgin expressed that among the priority actions for drought prevention, citizens must be informed and educated.

Stating that people often fail to realize the seriousness of a problematic situation until they are personally affected, Bilgin noted the following:

"Unfortunately, we will realize this situation when our water starts to decrease and be cut off. One of the simplest measures is not to use groundwater unconsciously. There is too much groundwater extraction. As a result, the formation of sinkholes is also a possibility. Power outages have occurred in some European countries. If water cuts start to happen here, we will realize that our water is decreasing. In recent years, due to low rainfall and unconscious use, it appears that we are moving from being described as a water-rich country to a water-poor one. Generally, crops that require less water should be planted and harvested. Unfortunately, whether a crop requires little or a lot of water, we irrigate it as if we are watering a rice paddy."