Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20211029

A29
world news Diabierna 29 OctOber 2021

Turkey’s Lake Tuz dries up due to climate change, farming

(AP) — For centuries, able irrigation practices. Cli- intensive crops such as corn,
Lake Tuz in central Turkey mate experts warn that the sugar-beet and alfalfa, which
has hosted huge colonies entire Mediterranean basin, have drained groundwater
of flamingos that migrate which includes Turkey, is supplies, photographer Tunc
and breed there when the particularly at risk of severe said. Farmers have dug thou-
weather is warm, feeding drought and desertification. sands of unlicensed wells
on algae in the lake’s shal- while streams feeding the
low waters. In Lake Van, Turkey’s largest lake have dried up or been
lake, located in the country’s diverted, he said.
This summer, however, a east, fishing boats no longer
heart-wrenching scene re- could approach a dock last Environmental groups say
placed the usual splendid week after the water fell to poor government agricultur-
sunset images of the birds unusual levels, HaberTurk al policies play a significant
captured by wildlife photog- television reported. role in the deterioration of
rapher Fahri Tunc. Carcasses Turkey’s lakes.
of flamingo hatchlings and ”(We have) rising tempera-
adults scattered across the tures and decreasing rain, and “If you don’t pay them coast were struck by floods
cracked, dried-up lake bed. on the other side, the water enough money, the farmers, “They keep telling peo- that killed 82 people. Earlier, a
needs for irrigation in agri- they will plant whatever is ple that they shouldn’t use layer of sea mucilage, blamed
The 1,665 square kilometer culture,” said Levent Kurnaz, water intensive and will make groundwater for this agri- on soaring temperatures and
(643 square mile) lake — a scientist at Bogazici Uni- money for them. And if you culture and people are not poor waste management,
Turkey’s second-largest lake versity’s Center for Climate just tell them it’s not allowed, listening. There are about covered the Sea of Marmara,
and home to several bird spe- Change and Policy Studies. then they won’t vote for you 120,000 unlicensed wells in threatening marine life.
cies — has entirely receded “It’s a bad situation all over in the next election,” Kurnaz the region, and everybody is
this year. Experts say Lake Turkey at the moment.” said. pumping out water as if that Although Turkey was among
Tuz (Salt Lake in Turkish) is A study based on satellite water will last forever,” Kur- the first countries to sign the
a victim of climate change- imagery conducted by Tur- The overuse of groundwa- naz said. 2015 Paris climate agree-
induced drought, which has key’s Ege University shows ter is also making the re- ment, the country held off
hit the region hard, and de- that water levels at Lake Tuz gion more susceptible to “But if you are on a flat ratifying it until this month as
cades of harmful agricultural started to drop beginning in the formation of sinkholes. place, it can rain as much as it sought to be reclassified as
policies that exhausted the 2000, according to Turkey’s Dozens of such depressions you want and it won’t re- a developing country instead
underground water supply. state-run Anadolu Agency. have been discovered around plenish the groundwater in of a developed one to avoid
The lake completely receded Konya’s Karapinar district, a short time. It takes maybe harsher emission reduction
“There were about 5,000 this year due to rising tem- including one that Associated thousands of years in central targets. Turkish lawmakers
young flamingos. They all peratures, intensified evapo- Press journalists saw next to a Anatolia to replenish the un- issued a declaration rejecting
perished because there was ration and insufficient rain, newly harvested alfalfa field. derground water table,” he the status of developed coun-
no water,” said Tunc, who according to the study. added. try at the same time they rati-
also heads the regional branch Tunc, 46, a native of Aksaray, fied the climate agreement.
of the Turkish environmen- The study also noted a sharp is saddened by the thought The drought and flamingo
tal group Doga Dernegi. “It decline in underground wa- that he won’t be able to en- deaths at Lake Tuz were just In the town of Eskil, near the
was an incredibly bad scene. ter levels around Lake Tuz, joy the flamingos with his one of a series of ecological shores of Lake Tuz, farmer
It’s not something I can erase a hypersaline lake that strad- 7-month-old son like he did disasters to strike Turkey this Cengiz Erkol, 54, checked
from my life. I hope I do not dles the Turkish provinces of with his 21-year-old son. He summer, believed to be partly the irrigation system on his
come across such a scene Ankara, Konya and Aksaray. remains hopeful, however, due to climate change. field growing animal feed.
again.” that Lake Tuz may replenish
The Konya basin in central itself, if the government stops In July, wildfires devastated “The waters aren’t running as
Several other lakes across Anatolia, which includes the water-intensive agricul- swaths of forests along Tur- strong and abundant as they
Turkey have similarly dried Lake Tuz, was once known as ture. key’s southern coast, kill- used to,” he said. “I have four
up or have receded to alarm- Turkey’s breadbasket. Farms ing eight people and forcing children. The future doesn’t
ing levels, affected by low in the region have turned to Kurnaz, the climate scientist, thousands to flee. Parts of the look good. Each year is worse
precipitation and unsustain- growing profitable but water- is less optimistic. country’s northern Black Sea than the previous year.”

India tests nuclear-capable missile amid tensions with China

(AP) — India has test-fired a amid rising border tensions with have credible minimum deterrence India has been developing its me-
nuclear-capable intercontinen- China. that underpins the commitment to dium- and long-range nuclear and
tal ballistic missile with a range no first use,” said a government state- missile systems since the 1990s amid
of 5,000 kilometers (3,125 miles) The successful launch on Wednes- ment. increasing strategic competition with
from an island off its east coast day was in line with “India’s policy to China in a major boost to the coun-
The Agni-5 missile splashed down in try’s defense capabilities.
the Bay of Bengal with “a very high
degree of accuracy,” said the state- Tension between them flared last year
ment issued on Wednesday night. over a long-disputed section of their
border in the mountainous Ladakh
Beijing’s powerful missile arsenal area. India is also increasingly suspi-
has driven New Delhi to improve cious of Beijing’s efforts to heighten
its weapons systems in recent years, its influence in the Indian Ocean.
with the Agni-5 believed to be able to
strike nearly all of China. Talks between Indian and Chinese
army commanders to disengage
India is already able to strike any- troops from key areas along their bor-
where inside neighboring Pakistan, der ended in a stalemate earlier this
its archrival against whom it has month, failing to ease a 17-month
fought three wars since gaining inde- standoff that has sometimes led to
pendence from British colonialists in deadly clashes. India and China
1947. fought a bloody war in 1962.