"More Than 800 Million People Lack Access to Sufficiently Safe Water"

Yaşabey Kalebaşı, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Packaged Water Producers Association (SUDER), said in a statement on World Water Day that 70% of the world's freshwater sources are in glaciers and stressed that urgent action is needed to prevent melting.

Kalebaşı pointed out that incorrect practices in agriculture and industry result in wasteful and excessive consumption of groundwater while also polluting it, and emphasized that more than half of global food production is at risk.

Noting that more than 800 million people worldwide consume unhealthy water, Kalebaşı stressed the need to urgently switch to modern irrigation methods that ensure proper and efficient water use.

The United Nations declared World Water Day, celebrated annually on 22 March, in 1993 to raise awareness about the clean water issue and protection of water resources. This year's theme, as determined by the UN, is "Glacier Protection." UN statements point out that our frozen planet is shrinking and the water cycle is becoming more unpredictable. It is also noted that melting glaciers cause floods, droughts, landslides and rising sea levels, and harm ecosystems.

"Melting results in natural disasters and drought"
Yaşabey Kalebaşı, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Packaged Water Producers Association (SUDER), stressed that glacier protection is a matter of survival and said the following in his statement on World Water Day: "Glaciers store approximately 170,000 km³ of ice, containing about 70% of global freshwater. In the 21st century, however, glaciers are losing mass at unprecedented rates. As a result, natural disasters and drought are increasing, and freshwater sources are declining significantly. Melting in glaciers is also threatening many agricultural lands and settlements worldwide."

"Water crisis also creates GDP loss"
Emphasizing the impacts of deepening water crisis, Kalebaşı said: "According to research, more than half of global food production is at risk by 2050. Today, approximately three billion people live in areas experiencing water scarcity or showing unstable trends in total water resources. Due to unconscious use, our groundwater is also declining.

Moreover, the water crisis poses a threat of an average 8% loss in global GDP over 25 years. We have an obligation to bring urgent solutions to the water crisis to prevent social upheaval in the future and preserve world peace," he said.

"30 million hectares of agricultural land is irrigated with unsafe water"
Addressing what needs to be done to combat the water crisis, Kalebaşı spoke as follows: "Globally, 69% of water is used in agriculture, 19% in industry and 12% for domestic purposes. Uncontrolled irrigation methods lead to both excessive wastage of water resources and deterioration and desertification of soil structure and quality. Particularly due to failure to comply with water treatment and other pollution control measures, water quality rapidly deteriorates. More than 800 million people live in approximately 30 million hectares of agricultural land irrigated with unsafe water.

For the future of both water and agriculture, modern irrigation methods must be adopted as soon as possible. Additionally, industrial facilities that consume water above a certain threshold must urgently stop depleting groundwater sources in their region, and these facilities should be relocated to areas with abandoned surface water resources. Wastewater discharge into groundwater that pollutes groundwater must also be prevented."

"Urgent measures must be taken to prevent Turkey from becoming water-poor"
Kalebaşı, noting that Turkey also needs to take urgent measures against the water crisis, said: "With 1,312 cubic meters of usable water per capita, we are a country under water stress. Due to our population growth, this amount is expected to decrease further in the coming years. On the other hand, we are among the countries most affected by global climate change. In other words, a drought that may occur in the near future also poses a serious threat to Turkey. To prevent us from becoming a water-poor country, we must first protect our groundwater resources and review our current water management. In particular, we must end all unscientific practices that lead to water wastage," he said.

"5 liters of water is wasted to produce 1 liter of purified water"
Referring to the results of a study conducted by Istanbul University's Faculty of Water Sciences that lasted approximately one year and examined 19 different water purification device brands, Kalebaşı said: "We see that millions of cubic meters of drinking water are wasted nationwide every year due to purification devices. The research results show that purification devices used in domestic and individual consumption produce 5 liters of wastewater to obtain 1 liter of water. Additionally, the study shows that 80% of the devices used cause a loss of 75 to 100% in the mineral content of water. At this point, water wastage resulting from the use of purification devices must be prevented for both our health and the protection of our limited water resources," he said.