Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, spoke at the Water Efficiency Mobilization introduction meeting organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the Beştepe National Congress and Culture Center, attended by Emine Erdoğan.

Kurum expressed his belief that the Water Efficiency Mobilization Action Plan, which will initiate a comprehensive mobilization effort, will lead to more efficient use of water resources and promote water conservation. He hoped that the action plan would yield beneficial results.

He pointed out that a significant crisis has emerged due to uncontrolled usage of water resources on Earth, which are abundant enough to meet everyone's needs. "This process, which leads to pollution of water and soil and disrupts ecological balance, has brought about a global extinction threat, and drought alarms have started to sound. We can all see the consequences of drought and the depletion of underground waters, especially in Konya, where over 2,500 sinkholes have formed. With these sinkholes, our underground water level has dropped to 250-300 meters. 20-25 years ago, water could be obtained from 40-50 meters," he said.

Kurum emphasized that when looking at the per capita water availability, Turkey is now classified as a water-scarce country. "If measures are not taken within the next 20 years, it is anticipated that our country will join the ranks of water-scarce countries. Therefore, using water efficiently, treating wastewater for reuse, and protecting existing water resources is vital for the future of our country."

He stated that they have taken significant steps in water conservation through the Zero Waste Blue mobilization, meticulously protecting seas, lakes, and rivers. "We have made important regulations. Today, we have made it mandatory to collect rainwater from buildings with a roof area of more than 2,000 square meters to use for garden irrigation and in building reservoirs," Kurum noted.

Kurum highlighted the importance of using water more efficiently in buildings, stating, "We have made it mandatory for faucet flow rates in sanitary installation projects to be 6 liters per minute and 8 liters per minute in showers."

He mentioned that Turkey ranks third in the world with 531 blue flag beaches and that cleaning efforts are ongoing in Salda, Van, Beyşehir, and Mogan lakes. He recalled the recent issue of mucilage, stating that an action plan has been developed and they are taking the necessary steps.

Kurum announced that the number of wastewater treatment plants has increased from 145 in 2002 to 1,185 today. "By enabling the reuse of wastewater, we continue to conserve clean water sources, prevent the pollution of surface and groundwater, and contribute to the economy of our cities by gaining energy and organic matter from treatment plants."

He noted that the government has provided 4 billion lira in financial support to local authorities in the last three years for combating water loss and leakage. "In the coming period, we will provide municipalities with 10 billion lira. With these efforts, we aim to increase the current rate of reused wastewater, which is 4.75%, to 15% by 2030."

Kurum discussed the importance of water conservation in daily life, highlighting that an average person consumes about 7,000 liters of water daily to meet all their needs. "With the prepared action plan, we aim to elevate all our efforts to protect the water we consume in every aspect of our lives to a higher level," he concluded.