KONYA CLOSED BASIN FIGHTING DROUGHT DUE TO IMPROPER IRRIGATION...
The Konya Closed Basin (5 million ha in Central Anatolia) once known as Turkey ’s “grain warehouse,” is fighting drought due to improper irrigation activities and uncontrolled agriculture. The annual consumption of water in the basin was 4.5 billion cubic meters, while annual consumption reached 6.5 billion cubic meters. Speaking about the condition of the basin and the efficient use of water in the region, Nevzat Özer from the TEMA Foundation, Turkey’s largest and leading environmental NGO, said that society is always in need of water, and therefore civilizations are developing in the water basins. Stressing that ecology collapses and societies are dispersed in cases where soil and water are used incorrectly, Özer said that the lands and forests lost in the country and the wetlands that were dried are tiring Anatolia. Recalling that there are 25 river basins in Turkey, Özer stated that there are many problems in these regions from pollution to the use of wrong water in agri...