One of Turkey’s largest freshwater lakes dries up completely

 Lake Eber, which was the centerpiece of one of Turkey’s largest freshwater reserves, has dried up.

 

Local media reported on Oct. 19 that the lake in the western province of Afyonkarahisar’s Bolvadin district dried up completely in recent weeks amid drought.

The lake was Turkey’s eleventh biggest until the rivers feeding it stopped flowing after the construction of dams and reservoirs many kilometers away.

“Rain was the only source sustaining the lake,” Derekarabağ village head Yaşar Kandemir said, complaining that the regional economy has been hit hard due to the incident.

An area of over 10,000 decares has become a desert with the fall of the freshwater basin, while village fishermen and reed harvesters, who had sustained a living from the lake do not know what to do.

Lake Eber was a centerpiece of the local economy, providing revenue to around 30,000 people from four towns and 13 villages in the area, according to Habib Pınar, a reed harvester.

“I was exporting reeds to Europe, bringing revenue in foreign currencies to Turkey. The lake has completely dried and locals will be struggling a lot if there is not enough rain this year,” Pınar added.

 

Source: hurriyetdailynews