What should be the Roadmap of the National Water Efficiency Campaign?

The National Water Efficiency Mobilization, for which preparations are underway, will make significant contributions to the most efficient use of our country's water resources in all areas of use and to the positive change in current consumption habits. In this context, it is beneficial to carry out the activities to be carried out on two main axes: intellectual and institutional capacity building. Long-term and more effective results can be achieved if the intellectual capacity building activities are primarily designed to create a "water culture" and transform it into an awareness of the efficient use and protection of water.

1. WATER CULTURE

Achieving behavioral change in water use is associated with many socio-economic and cultural factors. Social awareness-raising and mobilization efforts on water efficiency will be much more effective in the long term if they are taken as the first step in creating a water culture.

"Water Culture" will be a basic cultural infrastructure that will cover the efficient use and conservation of water, as well as some other elements for the protection of ecological balance, such as the ability to deliver water to us without disrupting the hydrological cycle.

For this reason, it is considered appropriate to include institutions and organizations that will contribute to the creation of a water culture among the stakeholders of the national water efficiency mobilization.

2.BASIC ELEMENTS OF WATER EFFICIENCY 

In Turkey's National Water Plan, it has been decided that water will be managed with an integrated approach at the basin scale. In this context, all kinds of administrative, technical, social, ecological plans and policies to be established in the future on the efficient management and use of water should be created by taking into account the River Basin scale.

Water efficiency can be handled in two main sections as efficiency in the management and use of water. In fact, policies restricting the demand to be implemented in the management of water affect and even direct the habits in the use of water.  However, a natural resource such as water, which is of vital importance for all living things, should be managed by creating an awareness of efficiency in water use without restricting its normal use. On the other hand, policies aimed at limiting demand do not lead to efficient use of water, but to less and more economical use. Therefore, the awareness of efficient use of water is not only a technical-administrative issue but also gains a socio-cultural dimension.

2.1. Basic Steps to Create Water Efficiency 

- IN TERMS OF WATER MANAGEMENT, it mainly requires an IMPROVED INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY at the RIVER BASIN SCALE of the institutions and organizations that plan, develop, manage and supervise water resources and water services, and end-user organizations such as water user organizations and consumer associations, and coordination and harmony between these institutions.

- In terms of water use, it is necessary to create a culture of efficient use of water in PERSONS, INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS that will use water and to encourage and control these practices. 

For this reason, it will be appropriate to carry out the studies on water efficiency on the following two main axes.

1. Building Social Intellectual Capacity (Water Use)

2.Institutional Capacity Building (Water Management)

In order to build these capacities, there is a need to work on the issues listed below and restructuring of some institutions and organizations.

1. A national water efficiency strategy with clearly defined objectives

2. Action Plan 

3. Establishment of a legal and institutional public institutional infrastructure that will implement and supervise this strategy in the areas of drinking, agricultural irrigation and industrial water use, taking into account the "Draft Water Law" 

4. Determination of the administrative mechanisms and financing models that will guide the process of technological transformation and human resources in this institutional infrastructure and the process of creating knowledge, awareness, water management culture and institutional identity.

2.2. Existing Institutions and Organizations to be Restructured 

1. General Directorate of DSI, DSI Regional Directorates 

2. Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Administrations 

3. Special provincial administrations

4. Ilbank

5. General Directorate of Agricultural Reform

6. Irrigation Unions

7. Irrigation Cooperatives 

3.EXISTING STUDIES ON WATER EFFICIENCY 

In 3 Pilot Basins (Akarçay, West Mediterranean, Yeşilırmak), under the Technical Assistance Project for Economic Analysis and Water Efficiency Studies within the Scope of River Basin Management Plans, studies to improve efficiency for drinking-utility water uses, agricultural irrigation and industrial water uses were carried out under the water efficiency component.

In addition, "Water Efficiency Strategy Document and Action Plan (2023 - 2033) within the Framework of Adaptation to a Changing Climate" on water efficiency is currently being prepared by the General Directorate of Water Management. 

When the Water Efficiency Action Plans in these 3 Pilot Basins are analyzed, the following conclusions are reached;

In Drinking and Potable Water Sector

The institution that will implement the measures of the water efficiency action plan is stated as "water management institution" in the SUKIs of the Municipalities. However, multi-headedness has emerged in monitoring the measures.

While metropolitan municipalities, water and sewerage administrations and municipalities are responsible for the implementation of the measures of the water efficiency action plan, the responsibility for monitoring the measures belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

In Industry Sector

There is significant potential to reduce water use in the industrial sectors if appropriate measures are implemented, but there is no mention of which institution will lead, monitor and supervise these measures. 

Agriculture Sector

The investment related to the measures of the water efficiency action plan is made by the operators of irrigation areas; the institutions responsible for the control of the measures are DSİ regional directorates, special provincial administrations in non-metropolitan provinces and metropolitan municipalities in other cases.

The biggest obstacles to achieving efficiency in all three sectors mentioned above are;

Multi-headedness in Water Management, 

Confusion of authority and responsibility, 

There appears to be a lack of institutional capacity. 

4. CONCLUSION and EVALUATION 

National Water Plan (2019-2023), National Basin Management Strategy (2014-2023), Working Documents of 11 Working Groups of the 1st Water Council, 11th Development Plan (2019-2023) Development Plan (2019-2023) Special Specialization Commission Report on Water Resources Management and Security, 2021-Report of the Parliamentary Research Commission Established to Determine the Measures to be Taken to Minimize the Effects of Global Climate Change, Combat Drought and Efficient Use of Water Resources 2022; 

Confusion of Authority, Inadequate coordination and cooperation between institutions,

Lack of institutional structure (General Directorate of Soil-Water - Central Union of Agricultural Water Users etc.)

Insufficient institutional and technical capacity (SUKI)

Basic issues such as deficiencies in some legal regulations emerge. 

In this case, the main factors that directly affect water use efficiency can be considered as LEGAL DEFICIENCIES AND INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPACITY DEFICIENCIES These emerge as the main structural problems and deficiencies to be encountered in achieving water efficiency. 

 Apart from the ones given above, most of the other deficiencies are the deficiencies in terms of the model, strategy and implementation methods to be applied. These deficiencies and inter-institutional coordination are issues that can be completed with the studies to be carried out in line with the models and strategies to be determined after the institutional infrastructure and legal arrangements. For this reason, a road map to be created primarily on the completion of legal and institutional deficiencies will be more appropriate in terms of achieving efficiency.

Conclusion

Water efficiency can be achieved by establishing an EFFICIENT WATER MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE and a CULTURE OF EFFICIENT USE OF WATER, which are interrelated.

For this reason, it would be appropriate to carry out the studies to be carried out on water efficiency in the form of complementary studies on the two main axes given below and simultaneously.

1. Building Social Intellectual Capacity (Water Use)

2. Institutional Capacity Building (Water Management)

As the Water Policy Association, we believe that ensuring water efficiency is of great importance in Sustainable Water Management, which we have been working on for a long time. In this context, we believe that the works to be carried out as a priority are as follows

1) COMPLETION OF LEGAL DEFICIENCIES 

2) CREATING NEW EFFECTIVE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES AT BASIN SCALE 

3) INCREASING THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL CAPACITY OF EXISTING INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES 

4) It would be appropriate to determine the objectives, strategies and actions under these main headings by considering them as the implementation of the "SOCIAL WATER CULTURE" Program for a RADICAL THINKING CHANGE ON WATER USE AND WATER MANAGEMENT.

In terms of water efficiency mobilization, it is necessary to take steps related to LEGAL REGULATION and INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT. Because it is not yet clear how the policies, strategies and action plans determined at the national scale will be transferred to local (basin scale) implementation processes and with which physical, administrative, financial and participatory mechanisms the central-local coordination can be effectively ensured. 

Achieving the desired results from the national water efficiency mobilization is directly dependent on legal regulations, institutional structures and their effective implementation at the local level, as well as the simultaneous efforts to create a water culture. Therefore, it is necessary to take complementary steps in these areas.