Abstract
Turkey’s water policy can best be characterised by her desire to gain independence from imported energy sources, to increase production levels of agriculture and to achieve food security, to satisfy increasing water demand from industry and urban and rural populations, and to correct regional economic and social imbalances in the country, thus raising the living standard of the population (Kibaroglu et al. 2005). The inclusion of such social aims led to water resources planning and development being carried out by government agencies through public investment (Kibaroglu et al. 2009).
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Notes
- 1.
The 1961 Constitution of the Turkish Republic was replaced in 1982.
- 2.
Quoted in International Water Power and Dam Construction, vol 44, no 12, December 1992, 12. Turkey is also developing other renewable energy resources such as geo-thermal power, wind power, biomass energy, but hydropower will provide the greatest share to tackle the energy deficit (see Energy Information Administration 2002).
- 3.
Many sources, including the official ones, had maintained that Turkey had 26 river basins. Yet, the recent documents such as the Turkey Water Report, General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, DSI, 2009 as well as DSI’s official website display that Turkey has 25 river basins, where the Euphrates-Tigris is considered as one single basin.
- 4.
As of December 31, 2008, http://www.tuik.gov.tr. Accessed 17 November 2009.
- 5.
A “water stress index” based on the approximate minimum amount of water per person necessary to maintain an adequate quality of life in a moderately arid zone, was developed by M. Falkenmark: “The massive water shortage in Africa: why isn’t it being addressed?” Ambio. 18(2):112-18, 1989. The Falkenmark water stress index measures per capita water availability and considers that a per capita water availability of between 1,000 and 1,600 cubic meters indicates water stress, 500–1,000 cubic meters indicates chronic water scarcity, while a per capita water availability below 500 cubic meters indicates a country or region beyond the ‘water barrier’ of manageable capability. See Falkenmark and Widstrand (1992).
- 6.
See the evaluation of the actual impacts of the Ataturk Dam by Tortajada (2000).
- 7.
The Lower Euphrates Project includes the Ataturk Dam, the Sanliurfa Tunnels and five more sub-projects, i.e. Karakaya, Euphrates Border, Suruç-Baziki, Kahta-Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Gaziantep-Araban.
- 8.
Tigris, Kralkizi, Batman, Batman-Silvan, Garzan, Ilisu, and Cizre.
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Tigrek, S., Kibaroglu, A. (2011). Strategic Role of Water Resources for Turkey. In: Kramer, A., Kibaroglu, A., Scheumann, W. (eds) Turkey's Water Policy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19636-2_2
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