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'The climate crisis is here': New campaign highlights sinkholes in Konya Basin
There has been a sharp increase in the number of sinkholes in the Konya basin in recent years due to depleting groundwater reserves.
Climate group 350 Türkiye unfurled a banner reading “The Climate Crisis Is Here” near sinkholes in the Konya Plain, central Turkey, to draw attention to the effects of the climate crisis on the country's water resources and farmland.
The action was part of the group’s “The Real Cause: Fossil Fuels” campaign, which focuses on the impact of the climate crisis in different parts of Turkey.
According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority’s (AFAD) Sinkhole Susceptibility Map, 739 sinkholes have been recorded in the Konya Closed Basin. Of these, 702 are in the Konya province, 29 in Karaman and eight in Aksaray.
Konya previously had 576 recorded sinkholes, with another 126 added since 2020. While sinkholes are a natural phenomenon, research links their sharp increase in recent years to the climate crisis, drought and uncontrolled groundwater use.
Konya sinkholes: The harbinger of a food crisis
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Excessive groundwater use
Declining rainfall and rising temperatures are putting additional pressure on water resources. Excessive groundwater extraction, particularly for agricultural irrigation, is further increasing the risk.
İrem Daloğlu Çetinkaya, an assistant professor at Boğaziçi University, said the sinkholes were among the clearest visible signs of years of excessive groundwater use in the Konya Closed Basin, which is known as Turkey's "bread basket."
Giant crack in Konya Plain due to decreased groundwater
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Much of the basin’s irrigation demand is met through groundwater drawn from unlicensed wells, she said, while reduced rainfall linked to climate change has also weakened the natural replenishment of aquifers:
“The gradual expansion in recent years of areas planted with water-intensive crops such as corn is another important factor increasing this pressure.
"In other words, excessive extraction and inappropriate crop choices on the demand side are occurring at the same time as climate-driven losses in groundwater recharge on the supply side.
“The sinkholes are a direct result of this two-sided crisis. As the aquifers beneath the ground are depleted, they become unable to support the surface above them."
Ege Tok of 350 Türkiye said the sinkholes showed that the effects of the climate crisis were already being felt as Turkey prepares to host COP31 in Antalya:
“Drought, declining rainfall, rising temperatures and pressure on water resources are directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people today.
“Instead of encouraging new fossil fuel investments, particularly in coal, Turkey should accelerate its phaseout of fossil fuels and implement a just transition based on renewable energy." (CA/VK)
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