Bursa’s main water source, the Nilüfer Dam, has completely dried up, leaving its 60 million cubic meter capacity nearly empty. Meanwhile, water levels at the city’s other major reservoir, Doğancı Dam, continue to drop.

Dr. Özge Sivrioğlu, Chair of the Environmental Council at Bursa City Council; Murat Demir, Chair of the Doğader Board; and Caner Gökbayrak from the Bursa Water Collective, shared their views with bianet on the growing water crisis in the city.

As of November 18, the combined water level in Bursa's reservoirs had fallen to 16.24% capacity. Bursa Mayor Mustafa Bozbey, speaking at the Doğancı Dam, issued a warning that the city has only 40 days of water left and urged residents to conserve.

“An undeniable warning sign” Dr. Özge Sivrioğlu emphasized that the expected autumn rains have not materialized and noted that Nilüfer Dam has become so parched that people can now walk across it. She described the situation as "an undeniable warning sign."

Sivrioğlu identified climate change and the increasing carbon footprint as key drivers of the drought. She stressed the urgent need to transition to sustainable farming practices, as agricultural irrigation accounts for significant water consumption in Turkey. Highlighting industrial pollution of water resources, Sivrioğlu advocated for the adoption of systems that use less water or even zero water discharge methods. On an individual level, she recommended installing faucet aerators to reduce water use.

Sivrioğlu warned that unless both water consumption and resource mismanagement are addressed, all of Bursa could face severe drought within the next five years. She added, “Even if the Çınarcık Dam becomes operational, without proactive measures, we will inevitably run out of water.”

The impact of fossil fuels

Murat Demir, Chair of the Doğader Board, highlighted how the extensive use of fossil fuels has exacerbated the carbon footprint and deepened the climate crisis.

Criticizing both national and local governments for failing to take sufficient steps against the climate crisis, Demir stated that existing policies remain limited to agreements on paper. He explained:

“Drought and the climate crisis, combined with extreme rainfall, are severely affecting our living conditions. For instance, last week in Spain, a year’s worth of rainfall occurred in just eight hours. Similar situations are happening in Bursa and various parts of Turkey today. The autumn rains we expect are coming in short, intense downpours. These sudden downpours overwhelm inadequate urban infrastructure, preventing the water from being retained and integrated into the system.

The most critical source for replenishing groundwater and reservoirs is snowfall, but even that is not happening anymore. This is primarily due to our planet being enveloped in a layer of carbon. The heat island effect created by dense urban populations and industrial activity in large cities is worsening the problem. This intensity forms an additional layer of heat over cities, disrupting the patterns of both rain and snow.”

Water allocated to industry

Caner Gökbayrak, a member of the Bursa Water Collective, noted that during their November 7 visit to the Doğancı Dam, its water level was only about 20% full. By November 16, this had dropped further to 17.5%.

Gökbayrak pointed out that of the 145 million cubic meters of water allocated for the Çınarcık Dam, only 75 million cubic meters is planned for drinking and utility use, with the remainder reserved for industrial purposes. Criticizing Turkey’s insufficient efforts against the climate crisis, he concluded:

“When Turkey signed the Paris Climate Agreement, unlike other countries pledging reductions, it committed to increasing its carbon emissions until 2030—including emissions from coal, natural gas, and other polluting sources. This is a significant embarrassment. Turkey’s stance reflects a glaring lag in addressing the measures needed to combat the climate crisis.

Those who leave us without water today will also condemn us to famine due to drought in the future. This situation is the responsibility of those producing current policies, ignoring the destruction of forests, and allowing the construction of thermal power plants. Unless effective steps are taken against the climate crisis, we will face these issues more frequently.” (AA/VK)