Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced a five-year action plan worth about 25.5 billion lira to protect Sapanca Lake, warning that Sakarya and Kocaeli would face water shortages if the lake continues to decline, Demirören News Agency (DHA) and the Sakarya news site Halk54 reported on Saturday.
The minister also said industry in the region would be hit if the lake shrank further.
Six actions, 12 measures
Yumaklı presented the Sapanca Lake Action Plan at a meeting in Sakarya attended by Sakarya Governor Rahmi Doğan, Sakarya Metropolitan Mayor Yusuf Alemdar and Kocaeli Metropolitan Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, according to both reports.
The plan consists of six main actions and 12 measures and targets about 114 million cubic metres of water a year for the basin, the reports said. The investment is to be spread over five years. Among its priorities is an AI-supported, data-based decision mechanism for managing the lake, DHA and the news site Haberlisin reported.
Lake lost about 72 million cubic metres in 2025
The minister said the lake had a water deficit of about 72 million cubic metres in 2025, around 22 percent of which was due to evaporation, DHA and Halk54 reported. He cited projections of a rise of about 4 degrees in temperatures and a 5 percent fall in annual precipitation in the basin.
"Sakarya will go thirsty, Kocaeli will go thirsty," Yumaklı said, warning of the consequences if the lake shrinks further.
Dam and industrial pollution
The Ballıkaya Dam in the basin is scheduled to begin holding water in 2027, Halk54 and Haberlisin reported. Governor Doğan pointed to industrial pollution, saying the Ferizli Organised Industrial Zone has 44 factories but no wastewater treatment plant, according to the two outlets.
Sources
- Sapanca Gölü toplantısında Yumaklı: Kocaeli ve Sakarya susar (Haberler.com / DHA)
- Bakan Yumaklı açıkladı: Sapanca Gölü’nün korunması için 25,5 milyar liralık yatırım (Halk54)
- Bakan Yumaklı Sakarya’da açıkladı: Sapanca Gölü’ne 25,5 milyarlık yatırım! (Haberlisin)
Photo: Antoloji / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
