Turkey's Lakes Disappear as Drought and Dams Drain Water Resources

In the past five decades, 186 of Turkey's 250 lakes have vanished, including the iconic Lake Marmara, which lost 98% of its surface by 2021. The shrinkage results from a combination of climate‑driven drying, extensive dam construction, intensive irrigation, and illegal groundwater extraction. The Marmara basin’s Barrage de Gördes diverted water for agriculture, accelerating the lake’s collapse. The United Nations warns that 88% of Turkey’s territory faces desertification risk, with further severe drought expected by 2030.

The ecological fallout is severe: migratory bird populations, once numbering around 20,000 at Marmara, have disappeared; flamingos, pelicans, and other species have lost crucial habitats across the country. Local economies that depended on fishing, tourism, and agriculture are now in decline, prompting out‑migration from affected communities. The crisis underscores the broader challenge of balancing water infrastructure with environmental sustainability in a warming climate.