Çeşme's Water Should Not Be a Political Controversy. The Big Picture Is Clear
Water cuts in Çeşme should not be a subject of political debate but a warning sign for our water security. There is much to be done beyond political debate on this issue. The bigger picture is clear, and more challenging days lie ahead.
Çeşme's fountains have been without water for seven hours a day since yesterday. The active water level at the Kutlu Aktaş Dam, which supplies water to Çeşme, has dropped to 4%, leaving the district with approximately two weeks' worth of drinking water. The population in the district, which approaches one million during the summer months, is increasing water demand. In water management, infrastructure investments are as essential as conscious water consumption. In tourist holiday regions with high seasonal water demand dynamics, water supply and demand management must be carried out together. Additionally, new legal regulations should be established regarding water pricing and sectoral use for the management of water services in holiday regions.
In summary: Water cuts in Çeşme should not be a subject of political debate but a warning sign for our water security. There is much to be done beyond political debate on this issue. The bigger picture is clear, and more challenging days lie ahead.
The Karareis Dam water supply project, constructed to provide additional water to the Çeşme district of İzmir, has been completed except for the treatment plant. The treatment plant is also planned to be put into operation within one month. However, when the water in the existing dam, from which water is currently being supplied to the district, is about to run out, a cut-off programme has to be implemented. Managing a water crisis is difficult. If there is no water, there is nothing left to manage. For this reason, it is essential to carry out risk analysis at the beginning of each year and manage risks in a planned manner in advance. To this end, water management institutions must work in full coordination at the basin level. Çeşme, one of Izmir's tourist areas and a popular destination for local tourists, is on the verge of a water shortage crisis. Tomorrow, the Izmir Water and Sewerage Administration General Directorate (İZSU) will start mandatory water cuts in the district.
Starting today, water cuts of 7 hours per day will be implemented in Çeşme.
Compared to 2024, the active filling rates of all dams supplying drinking water to Izmir have fallen by half compared to the same period last year. At the Tahtalı Dam, which supplies a significant portion of Izmir's drinking and domestic water, this rate has dropped from 24% to 9%. At the Alaçatı Kutlu Aktaş Dam, which supplies drinking water to Çeşme, the water level has dropped from 25% on the same day in 2024 to 4% today. The municipality has been forced to implement various water-saving measures, including water cuts, to manage the crisis.
Nine months of extreme drought
Since October 2024, the Aegean Region has experienced 10 months of meteorological drought and severe drought due to insufficient rainfall. With spring rainfall also insufficient, dams had to enter the summer period with very low water volumes. Currently, the average water level in the dams supplying water to Izmir is approximately half of last year's level. "Meteorological drought has turned into hydrological drought, and the amount of water entering dams and lakes has decreased. There are two causes for the decrease in the water level in dams: meteorological and administrative. The meteorological cause is directly related to the decrease in rainfall.
The administrative cause is the inefficient use and management of water. High levels of loss and leakage in the water network are also seen as a management problem. However, the IZSU General Directorate has reached the final stage of its project to replace the 30-year-old, outdated water network in Çeşme. This project will significantly alleviate the water shortage in Çeşme, which has a population exceeding 1 million during the summer months. However, in addition to the renewal of infrastructure, efforts must be made to raise awareness about water usage. Furthermore, a water budget should be calculated at the beginning of each water year, and water demand should be managed by considering the water levels in reservoirs. Measures to prevent excessive water usage should be taken in a timely manner. The risk of hydrological drought must be managed before reaching the crisis stage in order to ensure water supply security.
The large increase in seasonal water demand must be well managed
Although Çeşme has a permanent population of approximately 51,000, this number reaches 300,000 in winter and 1 million in summer with holidaymakers and tourists, making water management difficult. It is difficult to meet the water demand, which increases 3-4 times in summer. To meet this dynamic water demand, limited water resources must be managed in a highly planned and efficient manner. Water users must also actively participate in this management. In our regions where water demand increases significantly in summer, demand must be managed. In this context, transitioning to a dynamic pricing system for water, while ensuring the right to human water supply, could be considered as an alternative.
Karareis Dam and Çeşme Water Supply Pipeline
What has been done? What should be done?
A project has been carried out to ensure sustainable water supply in Çeşme. Water has been stored in the Karareis and Salman Dams, constructed for the short-term water supply security of Çeşme, and a 33 km transmission line with pumping stations and storage reservoirs has been completed. It has been announced that a water treatment plant with a daily capacity of 23,760 m³ to treat water from the Karareis Dam will be put into operation within one month. However, since this facility could not be completed, the new water transmission system could not be put into operation. At the end of a dry period, when the Kutlu Aktaş Dam, which supplies water to Çeşme, emptied, a water restriction programme was initiated in Çeşme.
It is targeted to supply approximately 3.74 million m³ of additional drinking and domestic water to Çeşme annually from these dams. These projects will play a crucial role in meeting Çeşme's short-term additional water needs. However, even if this infrastructure is completed, the district, which has a very high summer population, will need to transition to water demand management and implement an effective water management plan.
Lack of coordination
There is a lack of coordination in water use management across Turkey. Institutions such as the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, IZSU and DSİ are trying to fulfil their duties within the scope of their existing capabilities and responsibilities. However, there is a general lack of coordination and a fragmented structure in our water management.
For example, in the case of Çeşme, İZSU and DSİ were unable to complete the Karareis Dam, transmission line, reservoir construction, and treatment plant within the new water supply system in full coordination. While the majority of the system has been completed, the construction of the treatment plant remains unfinished. As a result, water cannot be supplied to the system. With the onset of drought, water levels at the Alaçatı Kutlu Aktaş Dam—the primary water source—have decreased, triggering a water crisis in Çeşme.
Water management in Turkey is in a transition period. There is a need for many legal, administrative and institutional reforms and restructuring. For this, the draft water law, which has been in preparation for a long time, must first be enacted. There is a need for a strong and effective institutional structure at the river basin level to ensure inter-institutional coordination at the river basin level.
