Water resources are strategic natural assets for a country's economic development, food security, and social welfare. Located in the Mediterranean climate zone with an average annual precipitation of 501 millimeters, Türkiye stands at a critical juncture in water resource management. As the effects of climate change become increasingly visible, the state of water resources and consumption trends have become top priorities on the national agenda.
High volatility is observed in dam occupancy rates between 2010 and 2024, with a distinct downward trend becoming established over the last five years. Occupancy rates, which reached a peak of 44.4% in 2015, followed an unstable trajectory in the following years and retreated to their lowest level of 23.8% in 2021. The fact that rates have consistently remained below the 30% threshold, particularly since 2020, and stood at 25.2% in 2024, demonstrates that meteorological drought and rising water demand are creating persistent pressure on the basins, revealing a tendency for water stress to become chronic. 2024 data reveals significant disparities in dam occupancy rates across different basins. While Türkiye's national average dam occupancy rate was 27.92% in 2023, it declined to 25.16% in 2024. This 2.75-point drop corresponds to a relative decline of 9.9%.
However, this national average does not imply a homogeneous decline across all basins. On the contrary, while some basins observed dramatic increases, others recorded serious declines. This heterogeneity aligns with how climate change disrupts regional precipitation patterns and seasonal trends.
Basins with the Highest Increases
Van Lake Basin: The most dramatic increase occurred here, with occupancy rising from 11.3% in 2023 to 43.6% in 2024. This represents a relative increase of 285.8%. While likely due to high precipitation and snowpack, such a rapid rise in this ecologically sensitive region warrants close monitoring.
Aras & Euphrates-Tigris Basins: The Aras Basin saw a relative increase of 79.4%, while the Euphrates-Tigris Basin—home to the major GAP project dams—rose by 23.3% to reach 58.7% occupancy. This is a positive sign for regional flows and energy production.
Marmara Basin: Providing water to Istanbul, this basin saw a recovery from 24.0% to 32.3%, a positive development for urban water security in the country's most populous metropolis.
Basins with the Largest Declines
West Black Sea Basin: Experienced a sharp relative decline of 58.3%, dropping from 53.5% to 22.3%. The reasons behind this deviation from the region's typically high occupancy require detailed investigation.
Seyhan Basin: Critical for agriculture, this basin's occupancy plummeted from 39.2% to 16.1%. This 58.9% decline poses risks given the intense irrigation needs of the Çukurova region.
Akarçay Basin: Showing the highest percentage drop among analyzed basins, Akarçay fell from 28.8% to a critical 8.6% (a 70.1% relative decrease). This level is alarming for a basin already sensitive to drought.
Total water withdrawal in Türkiye increased from 49.95 billion m³ in 2010 to 68.52 billion m³ in 2024, a rise of approximately 22.4% over twelve years. The sharp increase of 5.5 billion m³ specifically between 2022 and 2024 indicates growing pressure on resources.
In 2024, a total of 20.3 billion cubic meters of water was abstracted in Turkey by municipalities, the manufacturing industry, thermal power plants, Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ) directorates, mining enterprises, and villages. Of this total, 54.6% (11.08 billion m³) was obtained from the sea, while 45.4% (9.22 billion m³) was sourced from freshwater reserves. 93.8% of the water abstracted from the sea was used for cooling purposes, demonstrating the significant water intensity required by the cooling systems of thermal power plants.
Agricultural Irrigation: Remains the dominant consumer, accounting for roughly 71% of total usage. Withdrawal rose to 48.70 billion m³ in 2024. The persistence of inefficient surface irrigation methods highlights that structural transformation in this sector remains insufficient.
Municipalities: Driven by urbanization and population growth, municipal consumption rose by 54.7% over the period, reaching 7.47 billion m³ in 2024.
Thermal Power Plants: Water consumption for cooling doubled (105% increase) from 5.15 billion m³ in 2012 to 10.56 billion m³ in 2024, reflecting the expansion of thermal power capacity.
Manufacturing vs. Organized Industrial Zones (OIZs): While "Manufacturing Industry" consumption appeared to drop by 72%, consumption in OIZs surged by 258%. This likely reflects a shift in industrial structuring and data classification, with factories moving into OIZs which offer centralized water management.
Evaluating Türkiye's water data reveals multidimensional challenges. While some basins face abundance, others like Akarçay and Seyhan are drying up, necessitating basin-specific risk management rather than a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Urgent water saving measures, reduced irrigation allocations, and local water efficiency programs must be prioritized in high-risk basins to ensure sustainable food security and economic stability.