Western Black Sea Area, Water and Civilisation
When discussing the Western Black Sea region, the picture is incomplete. People say, “There’s plenty of rain, plenty of water.” That is true. But it is not enough. The real issue is this: this region is rich in water; yet it cannot retain it. The days when the water flowed and the Turks simply watched are long gone. This is where the whole problem begins.
WATER STRESS
Today is 10 April. The headline on the main news is a flash report about the massive price hike on drinking water.
The US/Israel-Iran war is heading towards a ceasefire not because of oil or the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but because of the bombing of water sources. Damage to the Gulf states’ water treatment systems and water sources is causing the Gulf states, which finance the US, to exert pressure for a ceasefire via the US.
AA Ankara has again published an important report today titled “Water Stress”. Whilst the global increase in population, urbanisation, consumption habits, conflicts and climate change are rapidly increasing the pressure on water resources, forecasts indicate that by 2040, 33 countries—including Turkey—will face the risk of “extremely high water stress”.
The study lists the 33 countries projected to fall into the ‘extremely high water stress’ category by 2040 as follows: ‘Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, San Marino, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Palestine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Yemen, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Armenia, Pakistan, Chile, Syria, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Greece, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Spain and Tunisia.
The Middle East, the Islamic world and the Turkic world are at the epicentre of water scarcity.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Palestine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Lebanon are among the countries with the highest risk scores.
The global picture is striking: water security is not merely about access to water; it also involves safeguarding human and ecosystem health and the capacity to withstand water-related disasters. However, as of 2024, 26% of the world’s population (2.1 billion people) lacks access to safe drinking water, 41% (3.4 billion people) lacks access to safe sanitation, and 1.7 billion people lack access to basic hygiene services; this burden falls most heavily on women and girls. Furthermore, approximately 4 billion people experience severe water stress for at least one month of the year. Drought threatens agriculture, energy, food prices and public health, whilst potentially triggering economic pressure and migration. In addition, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also pose a direct risk to water resources, carrying the potential to deepen the crisis.
CIVILISATION COMES WITH WATER
The earliest civilisations are linked to the Indus Valley in Asia, Mesopotamia in Eurasia, and the Nile Basin in Afrasia. The Maya and Inca civilisations also flourished in water basins in the Far West.
Civilisations arise from water.
Sources provide comprehensive information on the management and use of water across different periods of human history.
The aqueducts of Ancient Rome, engineering marvels in their own right, along with the role of these structures in urban planning and social distribution systems; the advanced agricultural and irrigation techniques established by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia—regarded as the cradle of civilisation—and their pioneering discoveries in fields such as writing and astronomy; the discovery of Zamzam water in Mecca, and the dams in Istanbul’s Belgrade Forests—even in modern times, when water is kept under control, they demonstrate the significant contribution water makes to civilisation.
Istanbul lies on both banks of the water, New York beside the water, Paris, London and Budapest on its shores. To be as precious as water in this tumultuous world…
Water is life. However, improper interventions can lead to floods. Development in riverbeds and the inability to retain water in high-altitude basins can swallow up cities in an instant.
Furthermore, the US-Israel vs. Iran War demonstrated within 40 days that the allied Gulf States surrender not when oil runs out, but when water runs out.
They prefer to target oil and natural gas facilities rather than water infrastructure.
Civilisations thrive on water. When water runs out, so does life.
The European Water Framework Directive has also addressed this strategic issue with great sensitivity. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) (2000/60/EC), which came into force on 22 December 2000, states in Article 1 of its Preamble: “Water is not a commercial commodity like other goods; rather, it is a heritage that must be protected, defended and restored to a healthy state.”
TURKEY’S FIRST WATER FESTIVAL: THE KEBAN WATER FESTIVAL
It is within this context that the concept of a “water festival” began to take root in Turkey. This term, which is very new in the modern sense and has a limited institutional history, has flourished in Keban, where water is harnessed efficiently and tamed. Although certain traditional rituals have historically been linked to water, the first initiatives aligning with today’s understanding of festivals began in this region in the early 2000s.
The Keban Water Festival holds critical significance in this context. The festival was launched in 2001 by Selahattin Ateş, the District Governor of Keban. This event is recognised as one of the first institutional festivals in Turkey centred around the theme of water, and is even regarded as the first festival dedicated to pure water. With the launch of the festival, the Keban Dam and its surroundings have come to the fore in terms of both tourism and cultural promotion. However, what makes the Keban Water Festival significant is that it highlights the strategic importance of water for Turkey. This festival, which began a quarter of a century ago, provided the occasion for Hayrettin Karaca, President of the Tema Foundation, to state that Turkey is not a water-rich country.
In his presentation on transboundary waters, Professor Çağrı examined the strategic importance of water along the South Eurasia-Afrasia corridor within the context of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), whilst Professor Abdullah highlighted the potential of the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris to bring peace to the Middle East. The panellist quoted President Süleyman Demirel’s remark: ‘Why must we account for the snow and rain falling on the mountains of Ağrı, Erzurum and Elazığ to the deserts of Syria and Iraq?’ Professor Taşansu, meanwhile, assessed the state of peace and war in the relationships between geography, water and the state in Eurasia, and referred to a proverb frequently repeated in Poland: ‘If a Turkish horseman drinks water from the Vistula, Poland is free’.
WATER-RICH WESTERN BLACK SEA: AT THE THRESHOLD OF A CHOICE
During my time as District Governor of Keban, we organised a Water Festival inspired by the dams along the Euphrates-Tigris corridor. In my capacity as President of BAKFED and Deputy Chairman of the Western Black Sea Council, it is inevitable that we organise a Western Black Sea Water Panel. This duty falls to the regional actor at the helm of the regional-legal institution.
This is a necessary action not only for the dozens of Western Black Sea provinces but also, in particular, within the metropolises of Istanbul and Ankara.
When discussing the Western Black Sea, a sentence is often left incomplete. People say, “There is plenty of rain, plenty of water.” That is true. But it is not enough. The real issue is this: this region is rich in water; yet it cannot retain it.
The era when water flowed freely and the Turk simply watched is long gone.
This is where the whole problem begins.
Water Exists, but Without Will There Is Flooding
In the Western Black Sea, water falls from the sky like a blessing. Yet it finds no order on the earth. The dams built on the Euphrates and Tigris have not been utilised here.
The water has not been harnessed.
The valleys are narrow, the slopes steep. Streams surge, overflow and reach the sea. The resulting picture is this:
Wealth flows away, leaving only disaster behind. This is not fate. It is a choice of governance. Indeed, the Kızılcasu Declaration has clearly laid out this truth:
“In the Western Black Sea region, what is needed is not the flow of water, but the governance of reason.”
As BAKFED, our call is clear: Water must be retained, managed and treated as a strategic asset.
Just as the Turks have tamed the horse, they must also tame the water. This must be done in the Kastamonu Province (Western Black Sea), where 99 per cent of the population is Turkish and Muslim.
From the Road to Independence to the Road to the Future: The Railway Reaching Out to People
Today, we have a historic opportunity. “The high-speed rail line stretching from Istanbul to Samsun will create great opportunities for the region.”
We do not view this merely as a transport project. This is a line of civilisation. Yesterday, the railway went to coal. Today, the railway must go to people.
Just as the Road to Independence carried ammunition, the Road to the Future will carry prosperity.
When the Istanbul–Western Black Sea–Ankara high-speed rail line is established: The region will be reduced to a 2–3-hour journey, tourism will boom, and the young population will return
Our open call as BAKFED is: “The Western Black Sea High-Speed Rail line must be launched without delay, running parallel to the Black Sea Coastal Road.” This is not an investment, but the fulfilment of a long-overdue right.
A Western Black Sea Rising with Lakes, Not Known for Floods
Today, the Western Black Sea is referred to as a “flood zone”.
To accept this description is wrong and unacceptable. Because floods are not a result of nature; they are the result of neglect.
The truth is this:
The Western Black Sea should become Turkey’s new Lakes Region.
Every stream holds potential. Every valley offers opportunity. As we emphasised in Kızılcasu: “If water is retained where it falls, it produces wealth, not disaster.” Clean water retained in high-altitude catchments serves not only as a reservoir but also as a clean water source for metropolises such as Sakarya, Kocaeli, Istanbul and Ankara.
Through micro-reservoirs, dam lakes, catchment planning and engineering solutions in harmony with nature,
this region could transform its identity within a few years. This is not a dream,
but a matter of planning.
A Future Built on Lakes: A New Switzerland is Possible
The destiny of the Western Black Sea will be shaped not by heavy industry or reckless mining, but by nature. Lakes are not merely reservoirs of water. Lakes are tourism, climate and life.
Switzerland is no accident. It is the result of a plan, discipline and a vision.
The same vision is possible in this region. As we at BAKFED have stated:
“The Western Black Sea should be planned as an integrated tourism basin, not a fragmented one.” High-speed rail transport, water basins, earthquake risks, lakes, canyons, forests and the coastline must all be considered together.
Then: The Western Black Sea will become not merely a place to visit, but a region to live in and sustain.
Predatory Mining: A Short-Sighted Delusion That Consumes the Future
We must speak plainly. The greatest threat to the Western Black Sea does not come from outside, but from the absence of a development philosophy—or from a misguided one.
It has recently been reported that the region is being planned as a mining area. Yet, unregulated mining pollutes the water, destroys the soil and wipes out tourism. Once an ecosystem is damaged, it cannot be restored. If water resources are not safeguarded, neither Istanbul nor Ankara will be safe.
This point has been clearly emphasised in our previous articles and events: “The Western Black Sea, having lost its clean water, loses its future.” BAKFED’s urgent call is clear:
Water basins must be placed under absolute protection. The region must be declared a tourism zone as a whole, and a Tourism Minister must be appointed for the region.
This is not merely an environmental issue; it is, quite clearly, a matter of survival for our country, including Istanbul and Ankara.
The Western Black Sea Development Authority (BAKİ) must be established, and within this framework, the Western Black Sea Development Plan must be drawn up immediately.
Cittaslow: A Development Model Suited to the Nature of This Region
The Western Black Sea develops not through speed, but through balance. If it progresses steadily, harnesses its water resources, and spreads tourism across all four seasons and to every individual, it will become Turkey’s new driving force. It will bring the country into the G-10.
For this reason, the model we propose is clear:
A Cittaslow Western Black Sea region accessible via the High-Speed Rail (YHT).
This model protects the local, does not exploit nature, and places people at the centre. As BAKFED, our approach is as follows:
Not developing by protecting, but protecting by developing. Not being swept away by floods, but living with lakes.
This subtle difference changes the entire strategy.
CHOICE
The Western Black Sea stands at a crossroads.
Either it will remain a region known for its flowing waters, associated with floods, a source of migration, inaccessible, and forgotten unless heroes are sought for war,
Or: it will become a centre that retains water, creates lakes, distributes prosperity, is easily accessible, and is remembered at all times. The region is prioritising the transition to a basin-based management model by utilising its existing water potential, aiming to ensure water security—particularly for Ankara and Istanbul—in the face of a growing population and climate change.
As we said in Kızılcasu:
“The Western Black Sea will either write its own destiny or live the destiny written by others.”
We have made our choice. We will transform our path to independence into a path to the future with the High-Speed Train (YHT). We will extend the railways, which once led to coal, towards the people.
A Western Black Sea region that manages water, protects nature and puts people at the centre is essential. This is the manifestation of the long-overdue will of the Western Black Sea region, which is home to three of Turkey’s ten most intelligent provinces.
CHOICE
As of 10 April, the water crisis has come to the fore both in Turkey, due to price hikes on clean water, and globally as a factor influencing the course of wars.
Due to rising populations, climate change and conflicts, 33 countries—including Turkey—will face the risk of ‘extremely high water stress’ by 2040; the Islamic world, centred on the Middle East, and the Turkic world will be at the epicentre of this crisis. The fact that billions of people today lack access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene clearly demonstrates that water has now become a strategic security issue.
Historically, civilisations have been built around water; where water has been managed, prosperity has flourished, whilst where it has been neglected, collapse has ensued. The same truth holds today: if water is not managed correctly, it leads to disaster; if managed correctly, it fosters civilisation.
In this context, the Western Black Sea region stands at a critical juncture. Despite being water-rich, the region is unable to retain water; consequently, it produces floods and disasters rather than wealth. The problem is not natural, but managerial. The call from BAKFED and the Western Black Sea Council is clear: water must be retained, basin-based planning must be implemented, and the region must be treated as a strategic water resource area.
The proposed model involves transforming the Western Black Sea from a region ‘associated with floods’ into one ‘rising with lakes’ through micro-reservoirs, dam lakes, sustainable engineering, transport integrated with high-speed rail, and an integrated tourism approach. Swiss-style development is possible; however, the prerequisite for this is the protection of water basins and the prevention of unregulated mining.
