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Sinkholes multiplying in Turkey - 30th April 2021

Massive sinkholes are creating havoc for farmers as they multiply and spread over the arid plains of Turkey's premier grain region.

Potato farmer, Tahsin Gundogdu, doesn't just blame the drought.

Tahsin Gundogdu: "There have always been sinkholes, but lately, these last 10-15 years, there have been more and more. The cause of this in the Konya plain is the dryness of the soil and the lack of maintenance in the surrounding area."

Scarcity of rain in the area, along with diminishing levels of water in reservoirs, lakes and rivers, have caused severe water shortages in the plains of south-west Turkey. As a consequence, local farmers, many already living hand to mouth, are being forced to act against government advice, and drain groundwater reserves to irrigate their harvests, exacerbating the problems caused by drought.

Exploiting a natural resource in such a way is desiccating the ground far below the surface and causing the formation of massive cavities that, as they grow, are not able to support the bulky ground above. Eventually, the ground and anything on its surface caves in .

Head of Konya province's chamber of agricultural engineers Murat Akbulut, considers the devastating impact of changing weather patterns on local water sources.

Murat Akbulut: "Currently, in our lakes, dams and groundwater, there is a significant drought. When we analyse Beysehir lake in our region which last year provided 450 million tonnes of water reserves for the (Konya) plain, in comparison to this year, the amount of water it can give is around 123 million tonnes."

In a summit on the water crisis Turkey's leader Erdogan, responding to mounting pressure, has pledged to "renew and improve the agricultural irrigation systems".

Convinced of the necessity of direct action, many have applauded the president's pledge as a welcome alternative to the usual narrative of putting crises down to climate change.