"Fifty metres wide and 40 metres deep, it had appeared almost a year to the day after a previous one had formed. It was August the hottest month of the year. Sik was born on the farm he now owns, which his father ran before him, yet he says scientists have told local people the area is no longer livable."
"Turkey is on the brink of a major drought crisis, with almost 90% of the country at risk of becoming desert. Sinkholes are appearing in farmland in the region at an increasing pace. Experts say there are now almost 700, causing uncertainty and devastation for the farmers who live and work there."
"According to Fetullah Arik, a professor of geology at Konya Technical University who studies sinkholes, the problem stems from dwindling rainfall and reduced groundwater. Local farmers are digging more and deeper wells due to water scarcity, which further depletes groundwater reserves, exacerbating the problem."
Konya, Turkey's agricultural heartland, is experiencing an unprecedented sinkhole crisis with nearly 700 sinkholes appearing across farmland. Resident Fatih Sik witnessed a massive sinkhole form on his property, measuring 50 meters wide and 40 meters deep, following another one that appeared a year earlier. The region, historically fertile and home to ancient civilizations, now faces severe drought conditions with almost 90% of Turkey at risk of desertification. Experts attribute the crisis to declining rainfall and depleted groundwater reserves. Farmers, desperate for water, dig increasingly deeper wells, further exhausting underground water supplies and accelerating sinkhole formation. Scientists warn the area is becoming uninhabitable, leaving residents in constant fear for their homes and livelihoods.
#sinkhole-crisis #drought-and-water-scarcity #agricultural-devastation #groundwater-depletion #climate-change-impact
Read at www.theguardian.com
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