22- jan.-2023
Ankara turkey
reported by| ellen zanty

Turkish environment, urbanization, and climate change minister

Murat Kurum said that the country is facing a dangerous drought wave that hit all the rivers.
"Türkey is experiencing severe drought as dams around the country's major cities have reached low levels amid the lack of precipitation and an unusually warm winter stemming from global climate change. Murat Kurum said
Twitter account that "the picture does not give hope."

"I reviewed the data from the Meteorological Institute. We had the hottest December in the last 52 years. Rainfall has decreased drastically," he said.
Recently, the storage of the dams in different parts of Türkiye has decreased, which is 31.65 percent in Istanbul and 18.18 percent in the capital city Ankara as of January 10, according to official data.

Problems with the precipitation regime also raise concerns about agriculture. Representatives of the Chamber of Agriculture and Farmers said that they are worried about yield loss due to the lack of rainfall.

Ahmet Guldal, general manager of the Turkish Products Office, stated that agricultural activities will be seriously damaged if the expected rainfall in the coming months does not come.

Scientists point to the toll of human activity, caused by burning fossil fuels that emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, for exacerbating extreme weather events.
head of Kandilli Observatory Meteorology Laboratory at Istanbul's Bogazici University,Adil Tek said
"Climate change is one of the most pressing issues affecting the entire world. This is especially true for Türkiye due to its location. The Mediterranean Basin is becoming drier due to the effects of climate change,"

According to him, daily water economizing gestures are simple to address the growing problem.

"There needs to be a global change of mindset to address this burning issue, reducing both the carbon and water footprint in daily life and agricultural activity," Tek said