How Should We Manage Water Against the Increasing Risk of Drought and Water Crisis?

Turkey is a regional drought country, most of which is located in a semi-arid climate zone. We have started to experience regional droughts more frequently and more severely in recent years. Turkey's water resources are unevenly distributed according to population and regions. We are not a water-rich country. According to internationally recognised criteria, as our population increases, we are getting closer to becoming a water-poor country. In 2040, there will be a water budget deficit in some of our river basins. When we talk about the state of water, we usually only understand the state of water in terms of quantity. In fact, we need to look at the condition of water in terms of quantity and quality. In our country, water quality security is as important as water quantity security. According to the "Turkey Environmental Problems and Priorities Assessment Report" of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, our water pollution has increased significantly. While in the 2019 report, water pollution was the first priority environmental problem in 27 provinces, this number of provinces increased to 33 in the report published in 2022. In the samples taken by 66 provincial directorates from 425 surface water monitoring points, domestic wastewater pollution stands out among the possible causes of pollution. 

Turkey is unlikely to face a widespread water crisis in the near future. However, after two consecutive years of extreme dry periods, the water problem may reach a crisis point in some regions. In addition, if the necessary measures are not taken quickly, the water problem may turn into a crisis in touristic regions such as Datça, Marmaris and Bodrum, which have a high demand for water in the summer months and still experience water shortages. 

Is the water problem increasing? 

Water problems are generally categorised as physical and economic water problems. Some parts of the world such as North Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Central America are experiencing physical water shortage. There are also economic and managerial problems in the supply of water in Sub-Saharan African countries. In some countries with self-sufficient water resources, managerial problems can be observed in water resources.

Since the middle of the 20th century, the world's water resources have come under pressure from the rapidly increasing world population. In addition, water resources are under the influence of climate change in some parts of the world. In addition to these, increasing pollution and rural-urban migration are among the factors that put pressure on water resources management. 

All these increasing pressures have necessitated the rational and planned management of water in an integrated manner at the river basin scale. However, apart from the developed northern countries, many countries have not yet been able to fully implement these management policies. Therefore, water problems are increasing due to increasing pressures. While the factors that increase the water problem in countries are mostly economic, climatological and demographic, the factors that will facilitate its solution are administrative factors. The classical understanding of water management should be replaced by a participatory, transparent and planned management of water resources at the basin scale. 

Innovative concepts in water management 

In water management, innovative concepts should be implemented within the scope of innovative water management approach. These can be listed as; online use of treated water, diversification of water resources through methods such as treated wastewater, grey water use, water harvesting, use of digital water technologies in water services management, transition to flexible and participatory water management, creation of disaster-resistant water infrastructure and management approach.  

Issues such as more efficient agricultural irrigation, where 70% of water is used on average, reuse of industrial water by treatment, minimisation of network losses in drinking and utility water, and raising social awareness for efficient use of water emerge as the main elements of sustainable water management policy.

Do we have a national water policy? 

For many years in Turkey, we developed independent projects within the scope of national water plan and policy. Due to the lack of coordination, we had difficulties in reaching the results within the time periods specified in the projects. Our water resources development policy was primarily oriented towards meeting the needs that had already emerged rapidly. This understanding led to implementations on individual project basis. In addition, supply management was emphasised in water management and mechanisms to regulate demand were not included due to the influence of socio-political factors. As a result of widespread political staffing, the identities, memories and institutional decision-making systems of the institutions responsible for water management have been eroded.

For these reasons, Turkey's water management has emerged as an institutionally multi-headed, fragmented and uncoordinated structure. In order to complete this and other legal deficiencies in water management, the preparation of the Draft Water Law, which was initiated about 10 years ago, has still not been finalised. On the other hand, the General Directorate of Water Management, which was established in 2011, has prepared many strategy and action planning reports such as basin scale protection, water allocation, flood management, drought management. However, they have not been implemented.  

The 2018-2023 National Water Plan, prepared in line with Turkey's needs in water management, is very comprehensive but could not be put into practice due to institutional and legal deficiencies. The following deficiencies were mentioned in the national water plan. 

Water policy and investment programmes produced separately by various institutions cause duplication and waste of resources, There are conflicts of authority between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation, Public awareness on the protection of water resources is not sufficient, Inter-institutional coordination is weak, Water legislation consisting of 30 laws and secondary regulations is fragmented and insufficient for basin management, Development-oriented land use and development decisions make it difficult to protect water resources, There is no framework legal arrangement (Water Law) to ensure the solution of problems

Turkey needs an appropriate financing model for water resources development and water services management. In addition, as stated in the National Water Plan, Turkey also needs a strong and effective institutional infrastructure to effectively implement water policies at the basin scale. This needs to be established rapidly by organising the existing regional directorate infrastructure of DSİ General Directorate.

How to ensure success in water management? 

In order to achieve success in water management, it is necessary to increase economic efficiency, ensure social equality and ensure environmental sustainability by managing water at the basin scale. In order to be successful in the areas of economic efficiency, social equity and environmental sustainability in water management, you need to have a complete legal infrastructure and a well-developed institutional infrastructure. Currently, there is a multi-headed, fragmented and uncoordinated institutional structure in water management. This situation can be considered as one of the main reasons for the failure in water management. In addition, socio-political influences play a very negative role in the implementation of the determined water policies. Populist policies also prevent the sustainable management of water services with a public service approach. Since the well-established institutional structures in water management are not renewed and their capacities are not developed in accordance with the needs, sufficient efficiency cannot be obtained.

Apart from all these, water management has become an area where not only engineering disciplines but also many professional fields (economics, ecology, international relations, climatology, meteorology, etc.) should produce common wisdom. For this, we need to go beyond the classical understanding of management and thinking in both water management and water utilisation. Instead of creating a culture of joint work, conflicts of authority between institutions providing water services and the reflexes of institutions to protect and expand their sovereignty also hinder progress. In addition, due to the lack of institutional infrastructure, there are decisions taken at the provincial scale in water management. We cannot integrate these decisions at the basin scale and implement them with an integrated approach. 

Today, apart from other pressures, many innovative approaches are needed in water management, even in order to manage the uncertainties created by climate change in a sustainable manner. The national water plan mentions the effective participation of civil society in the decisions to be taken, but no steps are taken in this regard in practice.  In short, a radical revolution in thinking is essential for economically, ecologically and socially sustainable water management.

Which steps are prioritised? 

In order to solve the problems in the field of water services management, it is very important but not sufficient to create a legal and institutional infrastructure according to the increasing needs. If the necessary rationalisation of authority and responsibility at the scale of water management institutions is not planned in advance, the new water law may further complicate the problem of multi-headedness instead of solving it.  

Because the understanding of resisting the change in the areas of authority and responsibility among the existing institutions and even expanding these areas should be changed in accordance with the realities of the country with a rational policy. 

It will not be possible for the Management Committees and Management Boards established at the basin scale and in a centralised structure in the draft water law to perform the work expected from water management.   It is necessary to put into practice an "Institutional Capacity Building Action Plan" in order to establish institutions with clearly defined powers and responsibilities that will manage water resources well in the new century of Turkey. The primary objective of this action plan should be to ensure the unity of strategic goals and objectives among the established institutional structures in line with the objectives of the national water plan.  

In this context, in order to solve the administrative problems experienced so far, it will be necessary to establish an institutional structure that will make effective practices at the river basin scale. For the basin plans to be implemented by this structure, it will also be important to eliminate the existing planning confusion and irrelevance at central, regional and basin scales. In addition, prioritising nature-based solutions that observe ecological balance, eliminating the structural weaknesses of the institutions that will take part in participatory management, and making use of digital technological developments to increase service efficiency are also prioritised steps to be taken.