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Istanbul Technical University professor Mikdat Kadıoğlu has highlighted alarming trends in Türkiye’s drought conditions, warning that persistent and chronic water shortages are increasingly affecting key regions.
According to recent Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) maps for 12- and 24-month periods, several parts of the country are experiencing severe and long-term drought, signaling an urgent need for reinforced water management strategies.
Data released by the Meteorological General Directorate (MGM) for August to October 2025 indicates that while western and northern Türkiye have benefited from near-normal or moist rainfall, drought severity is notably high in the southern and southeastern areas.
Kadıoğlu emphasized that the SPI maps reveal differing drought dynamics depending on the timeframe analyzed, with short-, medium-, and long-term impacts diverging significantly across regions.
Though Istanbul currently shows moist conditions in the short term, the long-term outlook points to worsening drought. Ankara presents an even more critical picture, while short-term data suggest normal rainfall, the 24-month evaluation classifies the city under a very severe drought.
Western provinces such as Izmir and Bursa are transitioning from moist to moderate and severe drought levels. The Mediterranean provinces of Adana and Antalya face exceptional drought intensity.
In Central Anatolia, cities including Konya and Kayseri exhibit steadily increasing drought severity across all periods, reaching the highest drought categories. Southeastern Anatolia’s Gaziantep and Diyarbakır are also among the hardest hit, enduring severe to extraordinary drought and sustained water stress.
Meanwhile, the Black Sea region shows mixed conditions, with Samsun and Trabzon moving from moist short-term conditions to mild long-term drought, while Erzurum shifts toward moderate drought status.
Kadıoğlu pointed out that the nine-month SPI data marks a critical threshold for agricultural and water resource planning, with reservoir levels declining sharply in central and southern Türkiye.
The 12- and 24-month maps reveal that drought is becoming entrenched, particularly across central Anatolia, the Aegean and Mediterranean zones, with a persistent drought “ring” extending from Ankara to Eskişehir and the Inner Aegean. Southeastern Anatolia is also witnessing chronic severe drought.
Underlining the broader context, Kadıoğlu attributed the increasing frequency and severity of droughts to climate change impacts. He stressed the vital importance of strengthening water management frameworks to mitigate escalating water scarcity risks and safeguard Türkiye’s socioeconomic and environmental stability.
