Water crisis looms as İzmir’s Tahtalı Dam levels plummet to 13 pct

İZMİR

Water levels in the Tahtalı Dam, İzmir’s main source of drinking water, have dropped to 13.56 percent, marking a staggering 50 percent decline compared to the same period last year.

The dam’s total water volume currently stands at 58.5 million cubic meters, deemed usable. The sharp decrease has raised serious concerns about the city’s water security as summer temperatures begin to soar.

Last year, on June 14, Tahtalı held 100 million cubic meters, with 80.5 million cubic meters usable, amounting to a 28 percent capacity. This year’s dramatic decline is attributed to a combination of ongoing drought and increasing water consumption.

Speaking to the press, Doğan Yaşar, a member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Climate Change Working Group, stated, “The expected drought has arrived and is lasting longer than anticipated. The issue is no just lack of rainfall, but excessive use.”

If consumption continues at last year’s levels — around 200 to 220 thousand cubic meters per day — the dam’s water levels may drop below 2 percent in September, he noted.

Yaşar said that despite an 11 percent increase in rainfall in 2023, insufficient water management and a rapidly growing population have nullified its benefits. “We’ve hit nearly 90 million people [in Türkiye]. Even if it rains, its not enough anymore,” he said, calling for more efficient irrigation, better crop planning and stronger regulation of water use.

He emphasized that while underground water was heavily drawn even during years of abundant rainfall, treated greywater is still being discarded into the sea instead of being reused in agriculture.

“In Çiğli Treatment Plant alone, 600,000 cubic meters of water go unused every day. We must stop treating water as disposable,” he warned.