OBSERVATIONS ON SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN TURKEY: THE NEED FOR A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH

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2 OBSERVATIONS ON SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN TURKEY: THE NEED FOR A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH Ömer EKER 1, Sultan BEKIROĞLU 2 Kahramanmaraş Sütcü İmam University, Forestry Faculty, Department of Forest Economics İstanbul University, Forestry Faculty, Department of Forestry Economics omereker01@gmail.com, sulbekir@istanbul.edu.tr Misuse and mismanagement of fresh water resources create serious problems for the environment. With a population of 72 million people and 1830 m³/year of water per capita Turkey is not a water-rich country [1]. A large urban population, limitations in preventing soil and water pollution, land degradation mainly caused by deforestation, agricultural mismanagement, overgrazing and less precipitation than the world average require authorities and the residents of Turkey to be more diligent regarding more available water resources. Varied emphasis is made concerning the sustainable use of water resources in the available literature. Economic, social and environmental aspects of water resource usage and management are discussed. However, a framework that gathers all water related organizations at both the regional and national scale is required to provide an effective water management system. In this study the tasks and responsibilities of water related organizations and the institutional frameworks utilized in Turkey are studied. Conflicts and difficulties faced by the organizations in the application of water management aspects are examined. As a result the need for a collaborative approach bringing all water related organizations together and the redefinition of their work fields at both the local and national level are identified. INTRODUCTION In Turkey a great number of institutions with governmental and non-governmental organizations have responsibilities and duties on the development, management and conservation of water resources. Although these institutions work well in their own fields of expertise uncertainties on the distribution of responsibilities and the gaps in the institutional framework cause waste of time, financial sources as well as irrational use of water resources. Thus, identification of these problems and rearrangement of water institutions and regulations are important measures that would form a better and more effective water resource management in Turkey. 4001

3 1 Main Water Organizations in Turkey: Tasks and Problems 1.1. Tasks of main water organizations in Turkey In Turkey water related ministries and institutions are: Ministry of Environment and Forest (MEF), Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MTC), Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR): The General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) and General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration (EIE), The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA): General Directorate of Rural Services (GDRS), Ministry of Public Works and Inhabitance (MPWI): The General Directorate of Bank of Provinces (GDBP), The General Directorate of Agrarian Reform (GDAR) and the water and sewage administrations connected to the various metropolitan municipalities. Ministry of Environment was founded in 1991 with the task of protection and remediation of the environment, effective management of rural and urban lands and the natural resources, protection and improvement of natural resources of Turkey as well as prevention of all kinds of environmental contamination. The Ministry of Environment was unified with the Ministry of Forest under a single name (MEF) in 2003 [2]. MEF is responsible for setting policies, principles and rules, inspecting activities, coordinating studies, and enhancing public awareness on environmental aspects of water resources [3]. -MTC is involved in the potable water supply, sewage collection and similar infrastructure of all facilities located in tourist regions [2]. -MENR is charged with setting up policies for energy production, transmission, distribution, consumption and pricing. The ministry is also responsible for assessing the management and investment plans of its affiliated organizations, for supporting them and monitoring their activities [3]. General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI) and Electric Power Resources Survey and Development Administration (EIE) are affiliated institutions of Ministry of Energy. -DSI, established in 1953, is the main executive agency of Turkey for overall water resources planning, execution and operation [4]. DSI has been charged by law to serve for public with the development of water and land resources for nation s social and economic progress optimal utilization of surface and groundwater resources and elimination of their adverse effects [5]. In addition, DSI is responsible for performing basic investigations such as, flow gauging, soil classification, water quality monitoring, and preparation of river basin development plans and formulation of proposals for construction financing and subsequent operation of these works [6, 7]. -EIE, founded in 1935, performs investigations, survey and engineering services on hydrology, mapping, foundation surveys, grouting, drilling for coal and other mines, design of dams and hydropower [2]. -GDRS is an affiliated institution of the MARA and it is responsible for construction of small reservoirs and small-scale irrigation schemes and for supplying drinking water to rural communities [3]. 4002

4 -Within the MPWI the GDBP is financially related to water issues. It is a development and investment bank and its responsibilities include developing urban plans, supplying municipal water, constructing sewerage systems and treatment plants, and providing loans to municipalities for the financing of such projects [3]. -GDAR is responsible for certain land consolidation projects in areas declared Reform Regions by a Cabinet Decree [8]. -The Water and Sewage Administrations connected to the metropolitan municipalities (15 out of 80 provincial capital municipalities) have also taken part in the implementation of pollution control policies, including water supply and construction and operation of wastewater treatment facilities [9]. They were founded with special law. 1.2 Problems in the application of water laws and share of responsibilities Institutional frameworks can be categorized into three main levels, namely, decision making, executive and users levels. At the decision making level the Prime Ministry, The State Planning Organization and different ministries take part. Governmental organizations under the ministries work on the executive level. There are also both governmental and nongovernmental organizations on the water user s level for the operation and maintenance of projects [10]. The basic legislation for the water sector is the Turkish Constitution, which states that water resources are natural wealth of country under the authority of the state and to be used for the benefit of the public [8]. The Turkish civil code covers water issues in two categories: as common waters and private waters. Except for some privately owned small springs, the development of water resources, including groundwater, is in general under the responsibility of the state. The major systematic process for water related activities in Turkey is central planning [2]. On the national level, five-year development plans are the main instruments which aim at ensuring the optimum distribution of all resources among the various sectors of the economy [5]. A number of governmental and non-governmental organizations have direct and indirect responsibilities and interests in the development and conservation of water resources in Turkey [2]. When the responsibilities and authorizations of the organizations are examined it is observed that some of the works and work fields need to be redefined and redistributed among the concerned organizations. For instance, some works, such as building reservoirs and dams, are carried out by both DSI and GDRS. The application of laws such as Groundwater Law Code No: 167 may be confusing or incomplete in terms of what level it is performed at. According to Law all groundwater works come under the authorization of DSI but in practice MEF, GDRS, Bank of Provinces, etc also undertake some work as well. 4003

5 In some forested areas there might be more than one organization responsible for the protection of water resources on the same piece of land. In Istanbul, for example, The General Directorate of Forest has reserved some areas where water production was supplied in steady protected lands status. The General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks is responsible for protecting these areas while Istanbul Water and Sewage Works (ISKI) is responsible for the management of dams and lakes on these protected forestlands. As a rule these two organizations must be in collaboration. However, there is no agreement between these organizations on water production and protection [11]. Therefore, precise parameters must be set for any project to be undertaken by the ministries and organizations. Another problem with water resource management arises with the jurisdiction boundaries of municipalities. Many river basins in Turkey are located in more than one municipality s border. In this case decisions on the same river basins require involvement of all water related municipalities, stakeholders and other interest groups. 2 Understanding the Role of Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Water Resources Management Sustainable water resource management requires consideration and understanding linkages between environmental, economic and social aspects of a nation s natural resource management structure. It also includes present and future generations water use rights and security in the sense that the use of ecosystems and their resources may yield the greatest continuous benefit to present generations while maintaining their potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations [12]. This draws attentions to the maintenance of the natural properties of ecosystems in terms of their safeguarding and the making of benefits available to society on a sustainable basis. To provide an uninterrupted service to society the importance of the ecological services supplied by forests and other ecosystems should also be well understood. The regulatory services of forests on climate, water quality, water flow and floods should be considered in the water management systems and valuations [13]. Achouri [14], points out that well managed forests have direct impact on the high quality of water yield from watersheds and on the lower storm flow peaks and volumes for a given input of rainfall. They also contribute to soil erosion control and consequently to reducing the levels of sediment downstream. Dudley and Stolton [15] state that some natural forests appear to increase flow rates. The most significant example is cloud forest, where leaves collect water from clouds and this additional water may exceed transpiration losses. They also add that many municipalities and other users already cite maintenance of water supply as a reason for introducing forest protection or reforestation. Understanding the role of ecosystems service in providing sustainable water resources management will also assist in more effective policies. With the realization of the need for the rational use of water resources many developed countries have built new advanced approaches for managing and using their water resources. Long term and integrated watershed management is widely accepted and practiced by these countries. New ecological criteria have been formed in order to guarantee protection of water systems. These include water saving and pricing components as well as protection-usage balance of water resources. The results of these applications in many European Countries are quite satisfactory so far. 4004

6 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS In the near future Turkey will experience water problems if procedures are not implemented. Irregular distribution of resources and precipitation in many regions already adversely affect the management of water resources. In addition, the application of short term, small regional projects also cause irrational use of water and financial sources. The severity of these problems is likely to increase if the need for a collaborative approach among the various institutions and organizations and the need for new management approaches for Turkey are neglected. Therefore: -A watershed approach that considers all activities within a landscape and their interrelationships should be drawn up. -Managing resources in a watershed context promotes collaboration, facilitates greater balance among competing water uses, and accommodates resource leveraging toward achievement of common watershed goals. In such a system, each interest group s or institution s work field must be redefined [16]. -Because an Integrated Water Resources Management practice highlights a collaborative approach concept it might be a solution in overcoming authorization and work distribution problems among institutions/organizations in water management. -The role of ecosystem services in providing clean and secure water should be wellunderstood and financially supported in order to supply continuous water to the society. For instance, in the upstream section of a watershed the Ministry of Environment and Forest may be given more responsibilities than the other organizations. In fact, in the upper section of a watershed the forest operations including silvicultural interventions (thinning, cleaning of litter and competitive vegetation, change of tree species) and decisions such as determination of rotation length and reforestation play important roles in the water yield collected in the watershed. -Water related data stored in different organizations should be gathered and collected in one unit and access to the resources should be open to all those who work on water issues. -Raising public awareness for water resources and environmental issues is as much important as setting coordinated and comprehensive policies and strategies for water resources management. -In some cases when water quality and quantity are negatively affected international collaboration may also be required. -Development plans of water and other related natural resources (forest, soil, natural touristic values) should also be arranged. REFERENCES 1. DĠE, Turkiye Ġstatistik Kurumu Haber Bülteni, Sayı 28, Ankara (in Turkish), EMWater., Prospects of efficient wastewater management and water reuse in Turkey, Efficient management of wastewater, A project: Turkey, Yiğitler, E., National institutions governing water sector investments in Turkey Anonymous., Turkey s experiences with water resource management: Water resources development in Turkey. medhycos.mpl.ird.fr/doc/turkey.htm,

7 5. Hatipoğlu, M., Turkey National Focal Point. DSI. Turkey, The World Bank, Natural Resources Management, Water resources management: Country water notes, Turkey, 7. General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI): Mission and Duties, 8. FAO., Gateway to Land and Water Information: Turkey National Report Kuleli, S, Institutional and Legal Framework in the Water Sector in Turkey. Ministry of the Environment, Akkaya, C., Karakaya Dam and HEPP Project: About Comprehensive Options Assessment. UNEP Dams and Development Projects (DDP), Case Studies, Geneva, Switzerland Sept 22-24, Bekiroğlu, S. and Eker, Ö., The Effects of Traditional and Contemporary Forestry Understanding on Drinking Water: Ġstanbul Example, Proceeding of the Conference Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Forest Management: The Role of Traditional Knowledge, Florence, Italy, 8-11 June 2006; Vol 2, The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, The convention on wetlands, Johnson, N. et al., Developing markets for water services from forests: Issues and lessons for innivators, Achouri, M., Forests and water: Towards effective watershed management. International expert meeting on forests and water, Shiga, Japan, Dudley, N. and Stolton, S., The role of forest protected areas in supplying drinking water to the world s biggest cities. The Urban Imperative, California Institute of Public Affairs, California, USA, US Army Corps of Engineers., Natural Resources Management for Gateway to the Future, Watershed Management, 2003,

WATER MANAGEMENT IN TURKEY AND IN ISTANBUL

WATER MANAGEMENT IN TURKEY AND IN ISTANBUL PROF. DR. CEVZA MELEK KAZEZYILMAZ ALHAN Istanbul University, Turkey February 20, 2015, Barcelona WATER MANAGEMENT IN TURKEY Turkey in General Role of Government