The Summer of 2025: A Turning Point for Türkiye’s Water Future

The summer of 2025 will remain in Türkiye’s collective memory for a long time. Declining rainfall, temperatures consistently above seasonal averages, and the gradual depletion of groundwater resources led to severe drought conditions across many parts of the country. Especially in the Aegean region — including provinces such as İzmir, Aydın, Uşak, and Muğla — drinking water shortages became impossible to ignore. As reservoir levels dropped to critical thresholds, people living in coastal areas began to understand the true value of water through frequent supply cuts.

We know that Türkiye lies within a semi-arid climate zone. From an early age, many of us learned by heart that the Mediterranean climate brings “hot and dry summers, cool and rainy winters.” Yet this fundamental reality has rarely been placed at the center of daily decision-making, urban planning, or tourism investments. In major tourism destinations such as Bodrum and Çeşme — which host millions of visitors every summer — the availability of water was long treated as a given, a natural constant of life. Today, however, we clearly see that without proper planning, water scarcity threatens not only agriculture and industry, but also tourism and overall quality of life. Unsurprisingly, many people have recently begun to move away from these regions.

The most essential way to cope with drought is effective planning. True planning requires a holistic perspective that places water resources at its core. When zoning permits are granted, how will the water needs of residents be met? When a hotel receives its operating license, is its daily consumption compatible with the existing infrastructure? Which crops should be grown, and with which irrigation methods, to ensure both efficient water use and long-term soil protection? The answers to these questions form the single most important key to reducing the impacts of drought.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, opportunities still exist. If Türkiye manages its total water potential effectively, it can ease the growing water crisis in both urban and rural areas. The first step is reducing water losses and improving efficiency. While more than one-third of municipal water is lost through leakage, flood irrigation methods remain widespread in agriculture, leading to enormous waste of both soil and water. Addressing these challenges requires infrastructure investments and widespread farmer awareness programs.

It is worth remembering a simple but striking fact: Türkiye’s usable freshwater potential is approximately 120 billion cubic meters. Only about half of this — roughly 60 billion cubic meters — is brought into use. And only half of that, around 30 billion cubic meters, is used efficiently. In short, there is still a long road ahead when it comes to water efficiency.

Equally critical is deciding which crops should be cultivated in which regions. Growing water-intensive crops in basins already suffering from chronic water stress is simply not sustainable. Supporting crops that require less water and developing agricultural policies aligned with local climate conditions would protect both producers and consumers.

Drought should not be seen solely as a natural phenomenon. It is also a risk that can be managed through human decisions. With the right planning, its impacts can be reduced, and society and the economy can adapt. Rather than falling into pessimism, perhaps the wisest approach is to treat this period as a warning. If we succeed in placing water at the center of all our plans, we can still build a more resilient and sustainable future.