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Türkiye on Tuesday launched a project to build flood control facilities throughout the country with $600 million from the World Bank, Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumaklı said.
Yumaklı emphasized the impact of global warming and climate change on life, saying the world is in a period where more proactive action is required to address these issues before they escalate into a much larger problem.
The minister was speaking at the launch event for the “Türkiye Flood and Drought Management Project” in the capital of Ankara.
He emphasized the critical importance of protecting citizens from floods, agricultural lands from various meteorological effects and overwatered soil.
He said Türkiye, as a water-stressed country, must manage water policies with utmost importance.
Yumaklı said the World Bank has provided significant funding for the Türkiye Flood and Drought Management Project. “With $600 million, we will build flood control facilities across our country.”
He emphasized the importance of creating a safer and more resilient Türkiye to feed future generations.
The financing comes as Türkiye is experiencing its worst drought in over half a century, with rainfall dropping by 27% compared to the last three decades and even more in some regions, according to data published this week.
Between Oct. 1, 2024 and Aug. 31 this year, precipitation in Türkiye averaged at 401.1 millimeters (15.8 inches) compared to 548.5 mm between 1991 and 2020, the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) said in its monthly report.
“Over 11 months, rainfall in Türkiye has dropped to its lowest level in the past 52 years,” the MGM said, noting a reduction of more than 60% in southeastern Anatolia, a typically arid region that borders Syria.
Less than 250 mm fell over 11 months, compared to the average rainfall of over 1,000 mm over the past 30 years.
Türkiye’s Mediterranean regions have not been spared, with Marmara and the coast along the Aegean Sea recording the lowest precipitation in 18 years.
Water shortages paired with abnormally high temperatures made for a hellish summer in Türkiye.
The month of July was the hottest in 55 years: Average temperatures exceeded those between 1991-2020 by 1.9 degrees Celsius (3.42 degrees Fahrenheit), and even broke records with 50.5 degrees Celsius (122.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in Silopi in the southeast at the end of the month.
Adana, the southern region known for its citrus fruit production, also saw its hottest day in 95 years when it hit 47.5 degrees Celsius in early August.
In the west, Cesme’s reservoir lake dropped to 3% of its usual water levels – so much so that an old road, normally submerged, reappeared and made it to Turkish TV screens.
The situation triggered multiple forest fires in the west and around Hatay in the south, prompting mosques across the country to pray for rain at the beginning of August.
An NGO study published in early July estimated that 88% of Türkiye is at risk of desertification.
Rainfall is set to decrease by a third between now and the end of the century, while temperatures could rise by 5 to 6 degrees Celsius compared to averages recorded between 1961-1990, experts predict.
Atypical weather has affected Türkiye’s most important exports such as apricots, apples, figs and hazelnuts, which make up 70% of global production.
In late August, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan estimated agricultural losses of TL 23 billion ($557 million) for the country’s 50,000 insured farmers and promised state aid for the 420,000 without any cover, whose incomes have collapsed.
