Istanbul water reservoirs dip to lowest levels of decade

Istanbul's water reserves have dipped to the lowest level of the decade, measuring an average 29.79 percent fullness. Water reserves were 35.17 percent full in 2014 when the city experienced a drought.

Monday November 02 2020 04:33 pm

Duvar English

Istanbul's water reserves have dipped to 29.79 percent fullness, the lowest recorded level of the past decade, daily BirGün reported on Nov. 2.

Water reserves were 35.17 percent full in 2014 when the city experienced a drought, making the current occupancy rates even more concerning.

Istanbul's reservoirs are able to hold some 868.7 million cubic meters of water, but only contain some 250 million cubic meters at the moment, according to data from the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (ISKI).

As the city consumes an average of three million cubic meters of water daily, the first nine months of 2020 have required some 439.9 million cubic meters being pumped in from Yeşilçay and Melen streams.

The reservoirs were at 59 percent capacity at this time of 2011, 48 percent in 2012, 43 percent in 2013, 35 percent in 2014, 69 percent in 2015, 37 percent in 2015, 55 percent in 2017, 49 percent in 2018 and 41 percent in 2019.