Flamingos are thriving again on Lake Tuz, Türkiye’s second biggest lake, thanks to elevated water levels after a drought rendered parts of the body of water uninhabitable for the birds. The Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change announced that water transported to the lake prevented a repeat of mass deaths of flamingos like 2021. The number of baby flamingos has now reached about 10,000 in the lake, the ministry said.
Hundreds of baby and adult flamingos were found dead on a dried part of Lake Tuz in July 2021, prompting renewed emphasis on the impact of drought on the ecosystem.
The lake, one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world, stretches across the capital Ankara as well as the provinces of Konya and Aksaray. It is among the favorite habitats of migratory animals and has long been a hatching ground for flamingos. Though it is shallow and gets little precipitation throughout the year, its salty nature is conducive to the nesting of migratory birds. However, the drought stemming from climate change has led to a recession in the lake's waters, making finding food a challenge for flamingos.
This year, the ministry set up a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) pipeline to supply water to dried parts of the lake, creating ponds for flamingos to inhabit.
Professor Ahmet Karataş, one of the coordinators of the project to carry water to the lake, said they were monitoring the wellbeing of species in the lake and its region, including an endangered eagle species.
“We did not encounter any flamingo deaths stemming from thirst this year so far,” Karataş said in a written statement but warned about future water shortages, citing a large number of irrigation activities in the region by growers growing corn, sunflower and other crops requiring more water than usual. “We are working on alternative solutions to the problem, including releasing more water from dams in the region,” he said. Karataş noted that the number of flamingos has been around 10,000 in recent years but occasionally, it rose to 18,000. “Last year, a number of factors including drought and lack of food caused a decline in the number of baby flamingos, only around 3,000,” he said.
He said they were supplying 10 tons of water per hour to dried parts.
