As part of the “National Water Efficiency Campaign” carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, an official letter was issued to all ministries, calling to establish water efficiency units.
The “National Water Efficiency Campaign”, launched under the auspices of First Lady Emine ERDOĞAN, aims to both qualitative and quantitative protection of water resources and sustainable management of these resources.
Related institutions continue to work uninterruptedly in line with the Water Efficiency Strategy Document and Action Plan within the Framework of Adaptation to the Changing Climate. In this context, with the campaign carried out by the Directorate General for Water Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, action was taken to establish a water efficiency unit in the compounds of the Ministry’s central and provincial organizations.
Within the scope of this campaign, the Ministry called all other ministries to establish water efficiency units.
The Ministry also prepared and shared the Guideline on the Water Efficiency Target and Implementation in Buildings and the Guideline on the Water Efficiency System Installation in Buildings with other ministries for implementation.
WARNINGS REGARDING WATERING TIMES TO LANDSCAPING
The water efficiency units to be established will examine whether there are any malfunctions in the water meters and installations of the service buildings. They also determine the current status in terms of water efficiency by checking invoices and determining the water consumption. Upon determining the current status, they will establish plans for “reduce, reuse, replace” strategies. These units will also ensure that garden irrigation is carried out at hours when evaporation is low, plants that require less water are used in the garden landscape, and techniques for efficient use of water are applied in newly constructed buildings.
In addition to providing training to personnel for efficient use of water, the units also carry out awareness-raising activities. They will monitor the changes in water use in service buildings and will report Directorate General for Water Management the results quarterly.
“FOR US, WATER IS AS PRECIOUS AS OUR HOMELAND”
Evaluating the issue, Mr. İbraihim YUMAKLI, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, stated that water is not an unlimited resource and that saving is indispensable.
Thanking First Lady ERDOĞAN for her pioneering role in water efficiency and saving, Minister YUMAKLI stated that they act with the slogan ‘zero loss in water’.
The Minister pointed out that there is no difference between protecting water and protecting the homeland and said:
“For us, water is as precious as our homeland. Türkiye is not a water-poor country, but it is not a water-rich country either, As a country, we are under water stress. As you know, Türkiye is located in the Mediterranean Basin, one of the most vulnerable regions of the world considering global climate change. According to climate change projections for the next 100 years, if necessary measures are not taken, water resources will decrease in Türkiye, as in other countries in the Basin. According to estimates, this decrease will be around 25 percent.”
Emphasizing that they cannot tolerate wasting even a single drop of water, the Minister also said, “We have initiated ‘water efficiency’ activities to achieve the goal of zero loss in water. Preventing water waste is only possible with all-out mobilization. We believe that the more we share our knowledge and experiences with each other and the more we contribute to each other, the more the total benefit will increase.”
Minister YUMAKLI pointed out that the works under the Water Efficiency Strategy Document and Action Plan within the Framework of Adaptation to the Changing Climate are continuing uninterruptedly, and he added the following:
“As part of the campaign carried out by the Directorate General for Water Management, we will establish water efficiency units in the buildings of the Ministry’s central and provincial organizations. We plan to implement the application, which we will first launch in our Ministry, in other ministries as well. We aim to save approximately 25 percent of water in public buildings through the operation of water efficiency units and the implementation of water efficiency measures included in the guidelines. I call on all the citizens to use water economically.”