Turkey experiences driest August in 33 yrs: Report

Istanbul: Turkey has experienced the driest August in the last 33 years, the country’s meteorological authority said.

In a report, the General Directorate of Meteorology noted on Thursday a 57-per cent decrease in precipitation in August compared to the 1991-2021 averages and a 60-per cent drop from last August.

The report highlights the meteorological drought as a widespread concern, which impacted nearly the entire Marmara and Black Sea regions in August, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the month, the northwestern region of Marmara, known as the country’s granary, saw a 74-per cent decrease in precipitation compared to the 1991-2021 averages and a 90-per cent decline from August 2022.

The region is also home to Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, where the water levels in its 10 dams dropped to 26.57 per cent as of Thursday.

According to experts, Istanbul, whose daily water need is more than 3 million cubic metre, is facing a severe water shortage.