Istanbul Mayor Urges Residents To Conserve Water as Dams Near Depletion

Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor, made an urgent appeal on Wednesday, encouraging the city’s nearly 16 million inhabitants to conserve water as drought conditions persist. Recent data reveals that the dam filling rate for the city has plunged to 33.37%, a significant decline from the 61.87% observed in August of the previous year, according to the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI). To address the imminent water crisis, ISKI has shared water conservation guidelines with residents. Tips include fixing leaky faucets and reducing shower times by one minute—efforts that could save 6 tons and 16 tons of water, respectively, annually. Additionally, residents are encouraged to use buckets and brushes when washing vehicles rather than running water continuously from a hose.