Water resources in Turkey: availability, use, and management

Abstract

Turkey is classified as a relatively water-abundant country with an average of 3,900 cubic meters per person per year availability of potential water resources. The potential cannot be fully developed, and the availability is not evenly distributed in time and space. Usable potential is 1,830 cubic meters per person per year, and 30 percent of this potential was consumed in 1993. The share of the agricultural sector in total consumption is around 75 percent. Lack of well-defined property rights and centralized supply management hinder the efficient use of already developed water resources.