Turkey’s Water Prescription

Opinion of ABce (Agriculture and Environment Alliance of Turkey) Regarding Turkey’s Policies on Water

By Gökmen Yalçın

1. General

The growing need for water and the methods of using water resources frequently come to the fore in public debate in Turkey. However, we still have no holistic water policy and a “water framework law” establishing a framework for the principles and methods which govern water management. As a consequence, work in the area of water use in Turkey is afflicted with a series of contradictions. These reach such proportions as to threaten the future of Turkey as a result of the inefficient use of water resources. For instance, the agricultural and environmental impact of irrigation and dam projects is ignored both at the planning and the implementation stages. As a result, in the last two decades, there has been serious reduction in the quality and quantity of ground and surface water resources to a level that could jeopardise water ecosystems.

When looking for solutions to Turkey’s problems in the area of water, four principles should be heeded:

1. The overriding public interest should be focused on, including the right to life of future generations, in all interventions regarding water resources;
2. Demand management rather than supply management should be the approach adopted in the use of water;
3. Integrated basin management;
4. The ecological and economic value added obtained from the natural cycle and flow of water should not be overlooked.

The ABce Agriculture and Environment Alliance of Turkey consider that the EU harmonisation process creates an important opportunity for Turkey to review its water policies and to make use of its water resources more rationally. The present document explains the expectations of ABce members from the government of Turkey and from the European Union. The members of ABce are prepared, within the framework of the fundamental principles enunciated above, to extend the necessary public support to the government of Turkey and to the European Union in the review of Turkey’s water policy, the conduct of the necessary scientific work and the drafting of a water law.

2. The Present Situation

2.1. The Institutional Setup

The organisation responsible for the planning, management, development and operation of the water resources of Turkey along the priorities of our country is the Directorate General of the State Hydraulic Works (DSI). The coordination of the tasks of the development and monitoring of national and international policies regarding water, on the other hand, has been entrusted with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, Turkey still has no holistic water policy and a “water framework law” establishing a framework for the principles and methods which govern water management. Moreover, there exist difficulties of coordination between the DSI and the diverse institutions involved in the use of water at the local, regional and national levels.

2.2. Plans Regarding Water Use

The DSI estimates that Turkey’s net usable water resources amount to 112 billion cubic metres. Of this, 40.1 billion has been opened up for use as of 2003. Of the 40.1 billion cubic meters, 74% is used for irrigation, 15% for drinking and 11% for industrial purposes. Within the framework of the DSI’s strategy for 2030, the target is for the entire amount of 112 billion cubic metres to be used, first and foremost for irrigation. Furthermore, the generation of hydroelectric power, which stood at 45.3 billion kilowatt-hours in 2005, is stipulated to rise to 127.3 kilowatt-hours by 2030. The DSI states that in order to reach these targets, a total sum of USD 71.5 billion is needed. For this reason, arrangements are being made to facilitate all types of projects and investment from the private sector.

On the other hand, there exists no national assessment of the impact of the planned projects on the environment and the hydraulic cycle. Unless the environmental impact of the projects planned by the DSI until 2030 is assessed in its totality, Turkey is bound to suffer serious losses regarding wildlife, the quality and quantity of water resources, and the water ecosystem.

2.3. International Waters

A significant part of Turkey’s total water resources are to be found in trans-frontier water basins, most importantly the Euphrates-Tigris Basin. Hence, principles governing the use of trans-frontier waters form an important part of Turkey’s water policies. However, the fact that discussion regarding our trans-frontier waters has not been conducted in the light of scientific findings obtained on the basis of a multidisciplinary approach has resulted in a situation where the topic is treated as taboo and a lot of speculation has been going on both at the domestic and international levels. The European Union’s Water Framework Directive, expected to introduce new arrangements to our country, will also lead to the necessity of applying more meticulous methods of work to the area of trans-frontier waters. For the successful completion of negotiations in this area, the indispensable creation of a consensus between the relevant public bodies and the national NGOs in the light of scientific findings is one of our fundamental national priorities.

2.4. Agriculture and Water

The DSI indicates that the total amount of irrigable land in our country is 8.5 million hectares and of this 4.9 million is now being irrigated. According to the the DSI’s 2003 data, the amount of water used in agriculture is 29.6 billion cubic metres and this is targeted to rise to 72 billion cubic metres by 2030, which would permit the entire irrigable land of 8.5 million hectares to be irrigated.

94% of irrigation activities is conducted through methods of surface irrigation (such as furrow or check flooding) that result in the overuse of water. In such irrigation, approximately half of the water does not benefit the produce and is thus wasted. Another negative impact of surface irrigation is that, in the medium term, it results in salinisation and hence reduces the fertility of the land. Thus, what Turkey needs urgently is policies and practices that provide for the efficient use of water resources that agriculture disposes of at present. However, the focus of Turkey’s plans regarding irrigation investment is the supply of new water resources for agriculture. On the other hand, irrigation investment is carried out without an overall plan regarding where, for what kind of product pattern and on the basis of which methods irrigation is to be carried out. The practice so far demonstrates that this approach results in serious environmental and ecological harm.

2.5. Energy and Water

Hydropower provided 23.85% of Turkey’s electric power in 2004. Turkey’s hydropower generation, which stood at 43.5 billion kilowatt-hours in 2005, is planned to rise to 127.3 billion kilowatt-hours by 2030, making use of the hydropower resources of the country to the maximum. In order to reach this target, the number of hydro-electric plants will have to be increased from its present level of 135 to 678.

However, the objective of rapidly increasing the generation of hydro-electricity will lead to the deterioration of the natural flow of rivers as a result of the hydropower plants built.

A correct estimation of future energy needs is the fundamental step in the planning of hydropower investment, as well as all energy investment. However, estimates regarding Turkey’s future energy needs differ considerably. According to estimates carried out in 2000, Turkey’s energy need for 2020 was calculated to be 570 billion kilowatt-hours by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, 547 billion kilowatt-hours by the Power Generation Transmission Corporation of Turkey, and a mere 310 billion kilowatt-hours (TMMOB, 2004) by the Chamber of Electrical Engineers, an affiliate of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Engineers and Architects (UTCEA). A succinct analysis of the causes of this divergence between different estimates would prevent overinvestment in the area of energy and create possibilities for prioritising other types of investment.

Turkey’s energy policy is based heavily on supply management rather than demand management. This approach results in energy investment to focus on the highest possible level of energy generation and relegates to the background the “efficient use of energy”, relying as this does on demand management. For instance, the fact that the amount of loss and illegal use of energy during transmission reaches 20% results in inefficient use of energy. The Administration for the Study of Electric Power states that energy can be economised to the annual level of USD 3 billion simply through savings measures.

The fact that social and environmental costs are not completely calculated and that the environmental impact of the project is not included within the feasibility work creates many unexpected adverse effects in the generation of hydropower. The World Commission on Dams, established jointly by the World Bank and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1998, has studied these adverse effects in detail. The Commission’s report recommends that investors and decision-makers conduct a more careful planning regarding dams and states that large dams, in particular, are not efficient and cause not only social and economic problems, but environmental ills as well. The statement by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) does not bring hydropower within the definition of renewable energy. A great many of the dam projects that are in the pipeline were planned within the last fifty years and unless the current approach referred to above is taken into consideration, these projects will bring more harm than good to the country’s economy and natural resources.

2.6. The Environment and Water

The natural hydraulic cycle and the flow of water create invaluable ecological and economic benefits for life on our planet. Projects implemented without due study of their environmental impact cause damage to the natural functions of water. 135 wetlands of international stature have so far been discovered and the necessity for the conservation of wetlands has been established on the basis of the amended Regulation for the Conservation of Wetlands, published in the Official Gazette No. 25818 of 17 May 2005. The Ramsar Convention, which is one of several international agreements to which Turkey is a party, also establishes certain responsibilities for all public bodies, starting with the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, with respect to the rational use of water.

On the other hand, as a result of projects carried out so far by public bodies engaged in investments, and first and foremost by the DSI, a total of 1.4 million hectares of wetlands have been destroyed and the natural constitution of a great many of our rivers has been upset. Along with the wetlands destroyed not only have direct livelihood resources such as reed cultivation, fisheries, and agriculture vanished, but the supply provided by wetlands to ground waters and the indirect contribution to the country’s economy such as natural waste treatment have also disappeared. As a result of interferences with water resources within the last half-century, many species are now threatened with extinction and some have already become extinct. Even today because of dam projects, three out of four species of waterfowl and many endemic plant species face extinction. At least one third of areas of high natural value according to EU criteria (Natural Sites of Significance) are threatened because of dams and irrigation projects.

3. Principles

Overriding Public Interest:
This is the total sum of social interests such as public health and national security and vital benefits provided by the environment and natural resources and express the supreme social interest, wielding a priority over all kinds of economic aims and returns. Since water is a natural resource which benefits the entire community, its use should be regulated in line with the principle of the overriding public interest and mechanisms should be established for the public’s access to environmental information and for creating channels for the participation of the people in decision-making.

Demand Management in Water Use:
In planning for the economic use of our water and the conservation of quality water of adequate quantity for the benefit of future generations, demand, and not supply, should be managed. Giving priority to demand provides for the highly efficient use of investment regarding water resources by the user. The principle of supply management, on the other hand, cannot guarantee beforehand the profitability of the investment since it overlooks the expectations and the capacity of the user. As a consequence, the excess of supply vis-à-vis demand implies a loss for the country’s economy.

Integrated Basin Management:
This form of management is predicated upon the integrated planning of the water resources of a basin on the basis of the determination of the demand for water of all the sectors within the basin. Thanks to this approach, the water budget available is shared out equitably and the future of the water resources at every point of the basin is guaranteed. Since it adopts the idea of the most efficient use of the available water resources from the economic, social and environmental standpoints, the integrated basin management approach excludes from the outset the need for inter-basin water transfer, whose adverse environmental impact has been documented.

The Natural Hydraulic Cycle Must not be Overlooked:
The ecological and economic benefits provided by water in the absence of any kind of engineering intervention are invaluable. For instance, rivers, which are usually regarded to be flowing uselessly, create deltas where they flow into the sea and these are of immense significance for agriculture and fishing. That is why Turkey’s water policy should include the principle that water never flows uselessly, all precautions should be taken so that no investment upset the natural hydraulic cycle, and, where avoiding such impact is impossible, necessary auxiliary projects should be implemented in order to mitigate that impact.

4. Recommendations of the ABce Alliance

        Institutional Setup

1. A “framework water law” dealing with a holistic water policy and the fundamental principles and methods of water management should be prepared with the participation of the relevant NGOs and academics and go into effect at the latest by year end 2007.
   
   
2. Participation of NGOs should be assured in the process of harmonisation of our national legislation with the EU Water Framework Directive.
   
   Plans Regarding Water Use
   

3. Projects so far completed by the DSI should be assessed for their environmental and economic impact so as to avoid the recurrence of mistakes committed in the past.

4. Environmental feasibility should be adopted as a fundamental criterion before new DSI projects are carried over to the implementation phase.

5. From the environmental point of view, all DSI projects should be assessed as a whole and their impact on the water resources of different basins should be measured in cumulative fashion.

6. Projects of different scale based on water use should each be reassessed on the basis of environmental, social, and economic impact.

7. All projects that interfere with the hydraulic regime should be subjected to the official Environmental Impact Assessment procedure.

8. Projects found to have adverse environmental impact within the scope of at least one of the four above items should be revised or completely cancelled.

9. Planning at the basin level regarding the use of water resources should be adopted and the requisite institutional structures should be initiated.

10. Starting from the premiss that all initiatives regarding water use should be assessed in accordance with the principle of overriding public interest, water resources should be taken up on the basis of policies and practices that should safeguard the environment and sites of high natural value, policies and practices that are not exclusively investment focused.
    
    International Waters

11. The issue of international waters should be discussed with the participation of the relevant public bodies and national NGOs on the basis of scientific findings obtained through a multidisciplinary method.
    
    Agriculture and Water

12. Policies and practices that aim at the efficient use of water resources at the disposal of agriculture at present should be developed on the basis of cooperation between official bodies and NGOs and with recourse to necessary legal and incentive measures.

13. Pressure irrigation methods, more efficient in water use, should be supported rather than surface irrigation methods.

14. The DSI should establish coordination with other public bodies and NGOs on the issue of where irrigation will be carried out as well as on the questions of the product pattern and the method of irrigation, and should plan for irrigation investment in a holistic manner.
    
    Energy and Water

15. Our energy needs should be correctly estimated in order to plan energy investment in an efficient manner. Coordination and a convergence of views should be provided for between the relevant institutions regarding the estimation of our energy needs.

16. In the shaping of an energy policy for Turkey, demand management should be adopted rather than supply management.

17. The necessary investment and planning should be made urgently in order to avoid losses and illegal use during the transmission of energy.

18. In the area of hydropower, river hydro-electricity plants rather than dams and local energy generation rather than centralised generation should be opted for.

19. All DSI dam projects that have been documented to have an adverse environmental impact should be reviewed and those whose adverse impact cannot be reduced should be cancelled.
    
    The Environment and Water

20. All the provisions of the Regulation on the Conservation of Wetlands, amended in 2005 and published in the Official Gazette No. 25818, dated 17 May 2005, should be enforced without any exception whatsoever.

21. In order to protect all sites of natural value according to EU criteria (Natural Sites of Significance), starting with wetlands, energy and agricultural projects that have an impact on these sites should be revised by the relevant bodies.

22. All existing projects and those at the planning stage should be subjected to the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure. The provisional articles of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation in force stipulating the exemption of some projects from the Environmental Impact Assessment procedure should urgently be repealed.
    

Gökmen Yalçın works for the Agriculture and Environment Alliance of Tuerkey.