Marmara Lake once spread across 17 square miles in the Turkish province of Manisa. Tourists came from far and wide to boat on its waters, which were the home of nearly 20,000 birds. In 2011, the lake began to dry up. By 2021, the lake had lost 98% of its water, destroying the ecosystem that depended on it.
Mamara is just one of the rapidly disappearing lakes in Turkey. As a result of longstanding destructive agricultural and damming practices, 186 of the 250 lakes in Turkey have dried up over the past 50 years. Some 3.7 million acres of wetland have also dried up during that time. This is a massive ecological disaster and an existential threat that shows no signs of slowing down.
According to a recent United Nations report, Turkey is at risk of entering severe drought by 2030 with 88% of the country at risk of desertification.
The shrinking of Turkey’s lakes is mostly a result of human action but is exacerbated by drought. For decades, lake water has been diverted by dams to irrigate crops and also for mining projects.
Three quarters of water usage in Turkey is for agriculture and practices in the country have become less sustainable and more water-intensive. Historic less-thirsty crops like chickpeas, lentils, and wheat have increasingly been replaced by crops like corn, sugar beets, and avocados.
Turkey has a real water problem.
