Water levels in Istanbul's reservoirs have fallen below 60% as hot weather continues to drive up consumption, with the city's dam occupancy reaching its second-lowest level for this time of year in the past decade.
According to data released on Wednesday by the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI), the average occupancy rate of the dams supplying the city stood at 59.71%, slipping below the 60% mark after recent rainfall had temporarily boosted reserves.
Among the city's reservoirs, Elmalı recorded the highest water level at 89.54%, followed by Ömerli at 84.59% and Darlık at 77.47%. The lowest levels were measured at Istrancalar with 28.52%, Pabuçdere with 31.99%, Sazlıdere with 35.57% and Kazandere with 36.22%.
Other reservoirs recorded occupancy rates of 49.1% at Terkos, 56.97% at Alibey and 42.72% at Büyükçekmece.
ISKI said the city has received 452.66 million cubic meters of water from the Melen and Yeşilçay water systems so far this year, including 344.83 million cubic meters from Melen and 107.83 million cubic meters from Yeşilçay.
A total of 605 million cubic meters of treated drinking water has been supplied to Istanbul this year, while rainfall reaching the reservoirs has totaled 498.19 kilograms per square meter.
The city's reservoirs and ponds have a combined storage capacity of 868.68 million cubic meters, with 518.24 million cubic meters of water currently stored.
Daily water consumption in Istanbul reached 3.29 million cubic meters on Wednesday. Of that amount, 2.06 million cubic meters came from reservoirs, while 1.22 million cubic meters was supplied through the Melen and Yeşilçay regulators.
According to ISKI data, the current reservoir occupancy rate marks the second-lowest level for mid-July in the past decade. The rate stood at 67.45% on July 15, 2016, and 59.92% a year ago, with only 2023 recording a lower level than this year's 59.71%.
