Istanbul’s water storage improves as dam levels reach 80%

The average water level in the reservoirs supplying Istanbul has reached 80.15% as of April 1.

According to data from the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI), the reservoir levels, which had dropped to 27.49% on Nov. 21 last year, have risen significantly.

As of Feb. 21 this year, the average reservoir occupancy rate was 70.05%, increasing to its current 80.15%.

The water levels were recorded as follows: Alibey at 64.04%, Büyükçekmece at 75.28%, Darlık at 78.37%, Elmalı at 94.04%, Istrancalar at 39.58%, Kazandere at 85.25%, Pabuçdere at 84.33%, Sazlıdere at 58.36%, Terkos at 80.62% and Ömerli at 93.71%.

The total water volume in reservoirs and ponds, which have a maximum storage capacity of 868.683 million cubic meters, was recorded at 680.58 million cubic meters as of Tuesday.

In addition to reservoirs, 242.82 million cubic meters of water have been supplied to the city from the Melen and Yeşilçay sources so far this year.

On the last day of March, Istanbul consumed 2.652 million cubic meters of water.

According to ISKI statistics, the reservoir occupancy rates on April 1 have shown significant fluctuations over the past decade. In 2015, the water levels were at 94.66%, followed by 87.56% in 2016 and 88.89% in 2017. The levels remained high in the following years, reaching 90.04% in 2018 and 93.7% in 2019.

However, in 2020, there was a notable decline, with reservoir levels dropping to 64.59%. This downward trend continued into 2021, with an occupancy rate of 73.18%. By 2022, the levels had recovered to 88.84%, but in 2023, the reservoirs saw a sharp decrease to 39.59%, marking the lowest level of the decade.

In 2024, water levels showed a significant rebound, reaching 81.85% as of April 1, indicating a strong recovery compared to the previous year.