WATER PEACE AT HOME WATER PEACE IN THE WORLD

General

THE IMPORTANCE OF NORTH CYPRUS TURKISH REPUBLIC (TRNC) WATER SUPPLY PROJECT

Aysen Pervin GÜNGÖR Ms Agricultural Engineer Hydropolitics Academy Association Ankara - TURKEY E-mail: aysenpervin@yahoo.com Climate Condition and Natural Resources in Cyprus Access to good quality water in sufficient quantity and quality is fundamental both to most economic activities and to the daily lives of every human being all over the world. However, 3% of water is fresh water and it is not distributed regular in The World. Additionally, increasing in population and industry are negatively affecting sustainable water security and food security. Like some countries, islands have problems under fresh water shortage. One of these islands is Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). 345 Cyprus has an intense Mediterranean climate. Hot dry summers from mid-May to mid-September and rainy, rather changeable, winters from November to mid-March are separated by short autumn and spring seasons of rapid change in weather conditions. Climate conditions on the island vary by geographical factors. Winter in the Northern Cyprus is cool and rainy with 60% of annual rainfall. The short spring is characterized by unstable weather, occasional heavy storms and the "meltem", or westerly wind. Summer is hot and dry enough to turn low-lying lands on the island brown. Summer is followed by a short, turbulent autumn. The country relies heavily on rain to provide household water, but in the past 30 years average yearly precipitation has decreased. Because of irregular rain distribution, rain pour down to the Mediterranean Sea directly without infiltration and due to climate change and high temperature, evaporation is increasing in water storage structures. Because of water shortage, over-pumping of groundwater has increased for 30 years and ground water level has decreased under sea level. This made island water salty and TRNC has one of the lowest domestic water qualities in the world. Since 2004 demand has increased annually as a result of local population growth because of foreigners moving to Cyprus and the number of visiting tourists, while supply has fallen as a result of more frequent droughts. Almost the entire need for water of the island is supplied with the underground water. Drinking water is normally supplied to homes only every few days but everyone has water tanks to collect it in the north.  Water delivery services drain wells in an unregulated way. Water quality is derogating since landfill areas are close to water resources and potable water blends into underground waters. So the quality of water in Cyprus is constantly decreasing and the water potential which is already limited is being reduced every day. Water desalination plants are gradually being constructed to deal with recent years of prolonged drought. The Government has invested heavily in the creation of water desalination plants which have supplied almost % 50 of domestic water since 2001. Efforts have also been made to raise public awareness of the situation and to encourage domestic water users to take more responsibility for the conservation.   in order to read full article please click on water-for-kktc-docx    
Share Your Comments

Only members can comment, Click here to sign up for free right now

(Your e-mail address will not be published)
Submit Review
No Comments Yet