Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Turkey under threat of desertification due to erosion


I was looking for something else and found this. Nothing is simple. There are some startling statistics in this text.

see also:
Turkey is heading towards landscapes resembling the Sahara, Saudi Arabia, the Great Indian Desert, and Patagonia climates.
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-Am


Tuesday, April 4, 2006




ANKARA - Turkish Daily News



Turkey loses approximately 1.5 billion tons of soil every year to soil erosion, resulting in the early economic demise of dams accompanied by a decrease in water storage capacity, the Anatolia news agency reported.

According to General Directorate of Erosion Control and Forestation data, Turkey's geographical makeup increases the possibility of erosion, with the resultant damage not limited to a loss of soil.

Heavy erosion leads to the end of the economic life of dams that Turkey is building at great expense as part of its long-term plans to meet the country's energy needs. Solid matter that accumulates leads to considerable loss in the available reservoir capacity of the dam.

The economic life of a dam is normally 100 years; however, due to excessive erosion Altınapa Dam lost its usefulness in a mere 19 years, Bayındır Dam in 28, Demirköprü Dam in 41, Hirfanlı Dam in 33, Karamanlı Dam in 13, Kemer Dam in 22, Sürgü Dam in 35 and Yalvaç Dam in 27 years.

Many currently operating dams are under the effect of erosion and are expected to reach the end of their economic lives earlier than expected. Buldan Dam will be inoperable in 72 years, Çubuk-1 Dam in 75, Çaygören Dam in 77, Kesikköprü Dam in 66 and Seyhan Dam in 70 years.

Although important both for the region and the country, the Keban, Karakaya and Atatürk dams in the Southeast lack proper forestation in their immediate vicinities, leading to speculation that these dams will become useless earlier than anticipated.

The loss of soil is important, too, because it is the basic element in food production. Its creation takes an extremely long time, and it is also a natural resource that cannot be imported.

Turkey loses 1.4 billion tons of soil a year to erosion, equal to what could be carried by 70 million 20-ton capacity trucks, 500 million tons of it from agricultural areas alone.

Erosion steals not only soil but also water. Due to loss of soil, the ability to store water is reduced, amounting to 50 billion cubic meters less water every year in Turkey.

Together with the loss of soil, a large amount of mineral and organic deposits are also being carried away. Through erosion, the solid rock under the soil comes closer to the surface and the land starts to lose its ability to yield beneficial and fruitful soil, eventually leading to desertification. According to research conducted by NASA, if erosion continues at this accelerated rate, a major part of Turkey will have become desert by 2040. Other findings emphasizing the problem of erosion for Turkey:

1. The soil loses its ability to store water, giving rise to floods, which can result in considerable economic hardship and loss of life.

2. The amount of soil carried by rivers in Turkey is seven times higher than that carried by rivers in the United States, 17 times more than rivers in Europe and 22 times more than those in Africa.

3. Ninety percent of Turkey's land surface is exposed to erosion at varying levels.

4. Every year, 90 million tons of plants and nutrients are lost with soil erosion.


© 2005 Dogan Daily News Inc. www.turkishdailynews.com.tr

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=39539