Mechanization in agriculture & Conserving of the resources
Vol. 69 (2025), Issue 4, pg(s) 104-107

CONSERVING OF THE RESOURCES

Alleviating negative impacts of drought on water resources, agriculture and environment in Konya closed basin

  • 1 Department of Farm Buildings and Irrigation, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Selçuk, Konya, Türkiye

Abstract

Water scarcity is a global phenomenon and is described as a marked decrease in precipitation, relative to the historical average, over a period of time. The negative consequences of drought are far worse than the positive outcomes. The Konya Closed Basin (KCB), characterized by a semi-arid climate zone, has been among the worst-affected regions in the last several decades. There have been reports of surface water bodies (e.g., Beyşehir Lake, Altınapa Dam) in the KCB declining in water levels. There has been a sustainable supply of water over the last two years of the drought period, and in the case of Beyşehir Lake and Altınapa Dam, which are the two largest surface water storage bodies on the Konya Plain, the water levels have fallen below usable levels, causing larger implications for the agricultural settings and aquatic environment. Therefore, increasing reliance on groundwater supplies has steadily worsened aquifer depletion and general declines in well yields across the KCB. In particular, excessive groundwater use has led to the formation of many sinkholes across the KCB, with a higher incidence of occurrence in the Konya-Karapınar district, termed the desert of Türkiye. After experiencing recurrent and severe drought conditions, agricultural farmers growing high water-consuming crops like alfalfa, maize, and sugar beet on their farming systems often showed higher economic returns on these crops, so that these farmers selected to grow these crops rather than consider the issue of water availability. Thus, financial mechanisms need to be established to incentivize the production of cereals with low water demand to relieve drought-related pressures. Moreover, it is also important for soil protection to convert land to drought-resistant crops, shrubs, and trees. Lastly, large-scale application of pressurized irrigation techniques, particularly using sprinklers and drip irrigation, is necessary to improve water use efficiency under constrained conditions.

Keywords

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