Türkiye Chapter

Effective water resources management in semi-arid regions requires resilient solutions to meet growing demands and address climate change impacts. Irrigated agriculture, which consumes at least 70% of global freshwater, faces significant challenges from urbanization, population growth and climate change. According to the IPCC (2022), climate change has negatively impacted agricultural production, with droughts severely affecting yields in semi-arid regions. The report warns that by 2050, 11% (± 5%) of croplands will become vulnerable to climate-driven water scarcity.

Contrary to the general perception, Türkiye is neither a country rich in freshwater resources nor the richest country in its region. Turkiye is situated in a semi-arid region, and has only about one fifth of the water available per capita in water rich regions such as North America and Western Europe. Water rich countries are those which have 10.000 cubic meters of water per capita yearly. This is well above the ~1.300 cubic meters per capita in Turkiye. By the year 2050, this amount is projected to decline to below ~1,200 m³ per capita/year with an expected population of over ~90 million.

Türkiye’s water resources are not always in the right place at the right time to meet present and anticipated needs. While certain regions of Türkiye have ample but unusable freshwater, some of the more heavily populated and industrialised regions lack sufficient fresh water. In arid and semi-arid regions in Türkiye where precipitation is generally limited to four or five months a year, water resources development projects have become indispensable for sustainable socio-economic development. In recent decades, Türkiye has made great strides in water resources development for domestic use, irrigation, and flood control and power generation. Türkiye has been implementing an integrated water basin management programme on its natural water resources.

Türkiye has sufficient regulations regarding the water resources and those have been applied by the relevant authorities in all 25 river basins of Türkiye. Through patient and determined efforts, Basin Protection Action Plans and River Basin Management Plans for all 25 basins of the country have been designed and now implemented by basin institutions (Basin Management Board) at local level with the support of National Water Board at national level. Basin management boards with diverse and inclusive stakeholder compositions are in place to monitor the level of success in implementing IWRM at the basin scale. Besides these, preparation of Basin Master Plans, Flood Management Plans and Drought Management Plans and Sectoral Allocation Plans are being conducted on the basis of integrated water resources management.

Türkiye’s public, private, and financial sectors are well equipped and prepared for delivering bankable green projects with significant demonstration impact. Moreover, Türkiye is preparing for a national green taxonomy, which will facilitate meeting financial resources with green investments. Also, the public incentive framework will be reviewed with the aim of accelerating the country’s green transition.

As a country that attaches great importance to the process of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and to the continuity of a development perspective on the basis of equality and sustainability within the context of international development agenda, Türkiye incorporates the SDGs into its long-term planning with the country’s Twelfth Development Plan (2024-2028). Türkiye has made considerable progress in achieving “SDG 6 on ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.

Abovementioned challenges and actions underscore the need for integrated management approaches to enhance resource efficiency. Comprehensive and inclusive strategies are crucial for effective stakeholder engagement and decision-making. However, effective planning is often hindered by fragmented or missing data. To this end, digital transition may offer significant benefits and opportunities, enabling more effective decision-making and integration among stakeholders (FAO, 2021).

For more information on Türkiye’s water resources, water use and governance, please click here.

Improving water use efficiency is crucial, especially in agriculture, where Türkiye allocates over 70% of its water resources. Embracing digitalization, such as smart irrigation systems and data analytics, presents both opportunities and challenges. Key obstacles include integrating new technologies into existing practices, addressing economic concerns, and creating supportive policy frameworks.

This WG will focus on strategies to optimize water use in agriculture, including precision irrigation, soil moisture monitoring, and adaptive management practices, to ensure sustainable and resilient agricultural systems not only in Türkiye but also in the region. The WG will also address the challenges faced in the drinking water sector where innovative region-specific real-case solutions (e.g. smart water management) will be highlighted.

Circularity is closely linked to sustainability and resilience, offering both opportunities and challenges for transitioning to a circular water economy. Although Circular Economy (CE) concepts are becoming established and technological advancements are accelerating their adoption, implementation remains at early-stage in many sectors. Key challenges include technological, governance, and economic feasibility issues, as well as the need for effective policy frameworks and long-term stakeholder engagement.

This WG will explore various CE approaches for a green transition, including the WEFE Nexus, Nature-Based Solutions, and water reuse applications.

The One Health approach, which examines the interlinkages between water, food, animals, plants, our shared environment, and public health, is critical as the world faces pandemics, climate change, population growth, and urbanization. It emphasizes the importance of collaborative efforts from various disciplines at the local, national, and global levels to achieve optimal health for people, animals, and the environment. Water and water quality are central to the One Health connectivity, as water is critical in agriculture and food processing, as well as in nutrition and human health.

This working group will aim to chart a strategic path to integrate a Global One Health Approach in Public Health and Environmental Monitoring, aligning with One Health and One Water principles to support UN SDGs. It will focus on pandemic preparedness, wastewater-based epidemiology, and WASH challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Additionally, it will showcase best practices that demonstrate how the One Health approach fosters cross-sector collaboration, societal value, and the integration of these principles into policy and regulatory frameworks.

Integrated water resources management and governance rely on the seamless collaboration between scientific research and policy frameworks. Successfully aligning these elements requires integrating knowledge and experiences from scientific, policy, and stakeholder perspectives. This task, though challenging, is crucial for developing cohesive strategies that address water management issues comprehensively.

This WG will focus on enhancing collaboration across these domains to ensure that scientific insights and policy decisions effectively support and reinforce each other for improved water management outcomes. Innovative governance models that facilitate the interface will explored.

Droughts and floods have become more frequent and intense due to climate change, underscoring the urgent need to enhance disaster risk management strategies. It is vital to conduct comprehensive risk assessments and analyses to understand current and future vulnerabilities to invest in necessary infrastructure improvements to assure resilience. Developing and/or enhancing early warning and response systems to ensure timely and effective intervention, and increasing public awareness and education on flood and drought risks are key steps to foster community preparedness and resilience in the context of climate change.

This WG will dwell on how to update disaster management policies and plans to incorporate climate change considerations and develop strategic, integrated approaches to address these risks effectively.