Agricultural lands in the Konya Plain, reeling under drought for months due to insufficient rainfall, were flooded this time due to heavy rains and melting snow on the mountains.
Central Konya province is at the heart of agriculture for the country with its large farmlands used for growing wheat crops for decades. However, the vast Konya Plain that hosts those farmlands was going through troubling times with the lack of precipitation in recent years. In the plain known as "Turkey's granary," 1 million tons of yield loss was experienced in the wheat and barley harvest in 2020 and 2021 due to drought. In October, another problem came to the fore this time, with the precipitation falling above expected in the region.
The agricultural fields in the Söğütözü district of Konya filled with water due to the melting snow in the mountains and plains. Farmers, who had a hard time due to the drought, are now complaining about heavy rains.
"Our crops are dying. A canal must be opened here and the water must be collected in the pond. Our farmers also suffer a great loss," said Mehmet Erçiftçi, the mukhtar of the Söğütözü District.
"The municipality is dealing with the issue but a canal needs to be opened here and water needs to be drained out," he added.
Noting that the crops in the flooded fields were damaged, Erçiftçi said: "About 100 acres of land in our region was flooded. Many such areas have submerged lands."
Another farmer, Mehmet Koçak, said: "When it snows a lot, the water coming from the mountains accumulates here every year. Sometimes the houses are also flooded."
Pointing out that such heavy snowfall is not seen every year, Koçak added the planted crops are wasted because of heavy snowfall.
Fahri Can, a resident, said that farmers whose crops are underwater are suffering. "We want our grievances to be addressed," he said.
