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Draft Water Efficiency Regulation
The draft water efficiency regulation has been published.
Water Efficiency Regulation in Turkey: A Revolution or a Beginning?
Although Turkey is known as a country rich in water resources due to its geographical location and climatic conditions, it now has to struggle with water scarcity. Population growth, the effects of climate change, and increasing water demand are putting great pressure on our water resources. To find a solution to this problem, the “Water Efficiency Regulation” published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry could be an important turning point for the future of water use in Turkey.
Purpose of the Regulation: Protecting Water and Using it Efficiently
The regulation not only ensures that water is used more efficiently but also aims to take important steps for the protection of water resources. For this, it makes the creation and certification of water efficiency systems mandatory for all sectors.
Key Features of the Regulation:
- Sectoral Water Efficiency Systems: The regulation makes the establishment of water efficiency systems mandatory for urban, industrial, and agricultural sectors. These systems include steps such as monitoring water consumption, preventing water losses, and identifying and implementing water-saving techniques.
- Provincial Water Efficiency Plans: For each province, 5-year plans for water efficiency will be prepared. These plans aim to increase efficiency in urban, industrial, and agricultural water use.
- Water Efficiency Certificate: The regulation issues water efficiency certificates at three levels, namely “blue, green, and turquoise,” for activities that establish a water efficiency system and meet the determined criteria. These certificates will be used to measure the water efficiency performance of activities. Higher-level certificates indicate more advanced water efficiency practices and a lower water footprint. Blue Water Efficiency Certificate: This certificate is given to activities that have established a water efficiency system and met basic water efficiency standards. Green Water Efficiency Certificate: This certificate is given if activities holding a blue certificate implement more advanced water efficiency practices and have a lower water footprint. Turquoise Water Efficiency Certificate: This certificate is given to activities that implement water efficiency practices at the highest level and can be shown as an example in sustainable water management.
- Alternative Water Sources: The regulation encourages the use of alternative water sources such as treated wastewater, water returning from agricultural irrigation, gray water, rainwater, and seawater. This will help both in better management of water resources and in creating a system more resilient to water scarcity.
Agricultural Water Efficiency and the Future:
The regulation gives special importance to increasing water efficiency in the agricultural sector. The use of modern irrigation methods such as drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation is encouraged. In addition, increasing irrigation efficiency, equipping irrigation systems with measurement and monitoring systems, and the use of alternative water sources in agricultural irrigation are also aimed. Agricultural technologies are encouraged to optimize water use and utilize it in the most efficient way.
The draft water efficiency regulation is an important step for protecting water resources and their efficient use in Turkey. However, for it to be implemented effectively and to reach the targeted results, some important points need to be considered:
- Sufficient Support in Implementation: For the success of the regulation, sufficient support for implementation must be provided in all sectors. This support can be provided in various ways such as providing financial resources, offering technical expertise, and organizing training.
- Transparency and Inspection: Effective inspection of the implementation of water efficiency systems and ensuring transparency are very important for the success of the Regulation.
- Creating Awareness: The regulation should also contribute to increasing water efficiency awareness in society. It is important to raise public awareness about water saving, the use of alternative water sources, and sustainable water management.
In conclusion, the Water Efficiency Regulation is an important step for the sustainable management of water resources in Turkey. However, for it to be successful, all stakeholders need to cooperate actively, the implementation needs to be inspected transparently, and public awareness needs to be increased. You can access the entire draft regulation via the link below.
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