---
title: "Drought Alarm at Lake İznik, in Türkiye: “The Climate Crisis is Here”"
date: 2026-08-19T13:35:43Z
modified: 2026-08-19T13:36:30Z
permalink: "https://350.org/press-release/drought-alarm-at-lake-iznik-in-turkiye-the-climate-crisis-is-here/"
type: press-release
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 175531717
author: Débora Gastal
timestamp: 2026-08-19T13:36:30Z
tags: []
---

![](https://350.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/DJI_0241-700x394.jpg)

**Water levels at Lake İznik – the largest natural lake in the Marmara Region and the fifth largest in Türkiye – have dropped to critical levels. Alongside rising temperatures and evaporation, intensive and illegal water use for agricultural and industrial purposes is exacerbating water loss.** 350 Türkiye demands authorities to take this devastating impact of the climate crisis on wetlands seriously. Campaigners unfurled a banner at Lake İznik as part of its _“_[_The Real Reason: Fossil Fuels_](http://gerceksebep.org)_”_ campaign, to call attention over the issue.

The climate crisis – driven by rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation – is increasingly affecting water resources and wetlands. As the risk of drought deepens across Turkey, the decline in rainfall stands out sharply. According to experts, the water level at Lake İznik needs to remain at approximately 83 meters for the lake to preserve its biodiversity and water budget.

According to data, Turkey’s average spatial precipitation in 2025 was recorded at 414.9 mm. This value fell 27.6% below the 1991–2020 baseline average, marking the lowest annual precipitation recorded since 1964. Experts emphasized that the 2025 water year was the driest year of the last half-century. In June 2026, nationwide precipitation remained 30% below the long-term average.

The loss of wetlands is also growing rapidly. According to scientific estimates, approximately 64% of the world’s wetlands have been lost since the beginning of the last century. **In Turkey,** **36 lakes have completely dried up over the past 50 years, and 14 more face the risk of drying out.**

Speaking on behalf of 350 Türkiye, **Ege Tok** emphasized that Türkiye, which will host COP31, must develop policies for a just energy transition and prepare a concrete roadmap to phase out coal:

_“The loss of water in Lake İznik is a tangible indicator of the climate crisis’s impact on wetlands. At the root of all this lies an energy system reliant on fossil fuels. As long as we continue burning coal, oil, and gas, temperatures will rise, precipitation regimes will shift, and the pressure on ecosystems will grow even further. Therefore, protecting Lake İznik cannot merely consist of regulating local water usage; we must also implement policies that will halt the climate crisis. As the host of COP31, Turkey must accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels and implement a just transition based on renewable energy, rather than incentivizing new fossil fuel investments.”_

**Notes to the Editor:**

- [More photos and videos available here.](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u-I2rcFAawhfukDTMFVM2EKMZy-W0DFJ?usp=sharing)
- For more information about the _Real Reason: Fossil Fuels_ campaign (Turkish):[ https://gerceksebep.org](https://gerceksebep.org)