University professor: Water crisis in Türkiye is deepening

Water losses and inefficient management are worsening the water crisis in Türkiye, Professor Bulent Inanc of Istanbul Technical University said at the event "Regional Perspectives on Sustainable Housing Finance to Accelerate the Achievement of the SDGs" held within WUF13 in Baku.

Report quotes him as saying water infrastructure operates on a closed-loop principle, but systems are often managed inefficiently, leading to the loss of large volumes of water and financial resources.

"Türkiye is seriously affected by climate change and drought. Last year, interruptions in water supply were observed in major cities such as Izmir and Bursa. In some regions, untreated wastewater is discharged directly into water bodies, and this water is then used for drinking purposes. Treatment facilities are not designed to clean heavily polluted river water. Wastewater must first be effectively treated and only then discharged into rivers," Inanc said.

He also addressed the problem of "non-revenue water" - treated water that is lost due to leaks in pipelines and other reasons: "Globally, the level of non-revenue water ranges from 5% to 83%. Water losses must be minimized."