Just recently, a major event in Antalya focused on the growing water crisis. One of the speakers, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Muhammetoğlu, made a pretty bold statement: “We need to give up habits like washing carpets, balconies, cars, and watering gardens.” She didn’t beat around the bush—“We must remove these from our lives,” she said.
Now, let’s be honest. A lot of people probably reacted with something like, “Wait, seriously? Not even carpet washing anymore?” And fair enough. But when you stop and really think about it, the situation is serious. Turkey is no longer a water-rich country. In fact, we’re heading straight toward being classified as water-poor. Right now, per capita water availability is only 1308 cubic meters per year—and that number is expected to drop even further in the coming years. That’s a major red flag.
So, should similar restrictions be considered for Edirne too?
At first glance, it makes more sense for a city like Antalya, with its heat and heavy tourism traffic, to impose these kinds of bans. But let’s not kid ourselves—Edirne isn’t in the clear either. Especially in summer, the water levels of the Tunca and Meriç rivers drop significantly. Add in agriculture, a growing seasonal population, skyrocketing air conditioner use… and you’ve got a serious increase in water consumption.
Let’s be real—don’t we all get a little hose-happy when washing the car or cleaning the balcony? And when it comes to washing a carpet ourselves, we’re probably not using liters—we’re using tons of water.
Maybe it’s finally time to rethink some of these habits.
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