Konya aims to prevent water loss

The cooperation protocol for the Apa Dam Irrigation 2nd Section Canal Rehabilitation Project was signed between Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Karatay Municipality, 4th Regional Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI), and the KOP Regional Development Administration Presidency with the aim of preventing water losses in Konya.

Karatay Mayor Hasan Kılca said, "Konya is an agricultural city. After the new Metropolitan Municipality Law, Konya Metropolitan Municipality and district municipalities provided significant support for agriculture. In our Karatay region, we have serious production in our plain villages and rural neighborhoods. We have irrigation canals. There were still earth sections of the canals transferred to the plain from Lake Beyşehir and Apa Dam, especially during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid II. There was a loss of nearly 70 million cubic meters of water here. Last year, we completed the 4.5 km section between Tavşankopru and Kısıkyayla by concreting it in the first phase. Almost 70% of the total water loss was occurring in this section, and we have eliminated it. Now, we will start the rehabilitation of the remaining 23 km section with the co-financing of our Metropolitan Municipality, ourselves, the KOP Administration, and our ministry. I wish this investment to be beneficial to our villagers, farmers, and valuable fellow citizens who work hard and put in the effort. I thank our Metropolitan Mayor, our Regional Director, and our KOP President for their support."

Mehmet Ekinci, the Director of the 4th Regional Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, emphasized the importance of water for the Konya Plain, stating that "we always say that water is more valuable than oil for this region. We need to deliver the water we have conveyed to our channels to the root points of the plants in a healthy way. We had created a will regarding the construction of closed concrete channels to eliminate these problems. Our financiers in this will be Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Karatay Municipality, and KOP Regional Development Administration. We were bringing around 350 million cubic meters of water annually to the plain through Beyşehir, Suğla, and Apa Dams. We were losing around 70 million cubic meters of water due to this collapse. With this service, we will hopefully not lose these 70 million cubic meters of water anymore. The annual benefit of this for the Konya budget is equivalent to around 300 million. It's a magnificent number. I thank all the institutions that contributed to this project."