Drought challenges Istanbul as low water level prevails

Istanbul is facing water scarcity as occupancy rate in most of the dams supplying both metropolitan municipalities dropped to extremely low levels for October due to prolonged effects of drought 

Türkiye's largest city is contending with a deepening water scarcity crisis as reservoir levels plunged to 21% last week, declining further compared to a week earlier, data from Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration suggested.

Meanwhile, the overall dam occupancy level in Istanbul was now measured at 21.01%, ISKI data said, pointing to deficient levels in at least four of the dams supplying the city.

The total water storage capacity in the dams and ponds supplying the city, with a maximum capacity of 868.68 million cubic meters (mcm), remains at 182 mcm, the data showed. Apart from the dam supply, the city received some 607 mcm of water from the Yeşilçay and Melen streams in 2023.

The water crisis that looms further into fall with relatively low rainfall coverage resulted in the lowest recorded occupancy rate in the past nine years, according to ISKI statistics.