Climate change and temperature changes that are out of seasonal norms are affecting North Cyprus lakes. The lakes are either drying out or are causing the lakes’ water level to drop significantly. The agricultural sector is also negatively being affected by this situation.
The Gönyeli (Kioneli) Lake in north Cyprus has desiccated, and the water level in many other lakes, especially Gemikonağı (Karavostasi), Kanlıköy (Kanli) and Değirmenlik (Kythrea), has decreased significantly.
Speaking to Bağımsız News, former President of the Biologists Association Hasan Sarpten, emphasized that some lakes were neglected. Sarpten pointed out that water is uncontrollably being used from lakes for agricultural purposes.
Sarpten emphasized that there are serious problems in nearly 40 lakes other than the Geçitköy (Panagra) Dam and that every year several others are coming to a point of drying out.
WATER FROM TÜRKİYE WILL RUN SHORT IN 2030
Speaking to YENİDÜZEN, the President of the Chamber of Geosciences Engineers Oğuz Vadilili, said that, “The project of transporting water from Türkiye through pipes was a chance for us to take precautions, but we did not. Now we need to get used to living with our own resources.”
Vadilili said that, “The water we consumed from Türkiye was 29-30 million cubic meters in 2019, we reached 39-40 million cubic meters in drinking and utility water by 2023. Moreover, we could not stop the supply of drinking water from local sources. The country’s population is either 1.5 million or each individual is consuming water worth 4 people. If the population continues to grow rapidly and the water from the project is consumed completely – which there is no other option it seems – we will use all the water coming from the Republic of Türkiye by 2030.”
Vadilili noted that sea water treatment plants can be established, new waste water treatment plants can be built or the capacities of existing ones can be increased.
He explained that the lakes should be cleaned and the water flowing from the streams into the sea should be prevented.
