İstanbul breaks daily water consumption record amid heatwave

Elmalı Dam, İstanbul (Photo: AA/File)

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İstanbul's water consumption reached a record high on Wednesday, as temperatures in the city soared to a record-breaking level.

The İstanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ) reported that over 3.5 million cubic meters of water were used on that day in what was the highest daily water consumption in the city's history.

In an SMS sent to water subscribers, İSKİ urged the public to conserve water.

The surge in water consumption is being attributed to the hot air mass coming from Africa, which heavily influenced the city. On Wednesday, temperatures in some districts reached as high as 39 degrees Celsius, which was 9 degrees above the seasonal norms. The extreme heat lasted for only one day, as a cold wave originating from the Balkans caused the temperatures to plummet back to their seasonal averages.

Meanwhile, the fill rate of the city's dams are nearly twice as low as the same period last year.

According to İSKİ data, the average fill rate of the 10 dams supplying drinking and utility water to İstanbul is currently at 38%, whereas it was over 71% in July last year. (AÖ/VK)