Lake Azap is about to dry up!
Azap Lake, located between the villages of Yeşilköy and Avşar within the borders of Söke district of Aydın province, next to the ancient city of Myus and in the northwest of the Latmos (Beşparmak) Mountains, has begun to dry up.
The main water sources that feed Lake Azap are the rainfall falling on the lake area, the Beşpınar, Kışla, Hayırlı and Kavaklıboğaz streams that carry the rainfall falling in the basin to the lake, and the water coming from the Büyük Menderes River during rainy seasons.
The water depth, which was five or six meters, dropped to 130 cm.
Due to climate change, the region hasn't had any rain since March this year due to extreme heat. Water depths, which had been around 5-6 meters in previous years, have dropped to 130 cm.
While the lake's water level is likely due to drought, one of the most significant causes is the mining pits in the Beşparmak Mountains. The mineral soil, which flows into the lake with rainfall, fills the lake bottom, shallowing it and reducing its water volume.
No one takes the report into consideration
In the 2007 research report on Lake Azap by the Süleyman Demirel University Eğirdir Faculty of Fisheries, it was stated that "Any intervention in the water system within the basin will affect all living creatures and areas dependent on water throughout the basin, and the most important condition for a wetland to be healthy is the presence of high-quality and sufficient water and the maintenance of this water's existence in the system in its natural rhythm."
White-tailed Eagle and Jungle Cat…
Myus, one of the 12 Ionian cities, and the Azap Lake, rich in natural and cultural assets and thousands of years old rock tombs located around the lake, are home to predators such as the Reed Cat (Felis chaus) and the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), which are endangered species.
It's also a key feeding ground for Dalmatian pelicans (Pelacanus crispus), a globally endangered species, along with many other bird species. Lake Azap is among the key destinations for ecotourism development in the Aydın region.
NOTE: For this news and photographs, the articles of Bahattin Sürücü (EKODOSD/KUŞADASI) were used.
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Lake Azap is about to dry up!
Azap Lake, located between the villages of Yeşilköy and Avşar within the borders of Söke district of Aydın province, next to the ancient city of Myus and in the northwest of the Latmos (Beşparmak) Mountains, has begun to dry up.
The main water sources that feed Lake Azap are the rainfall falling on the lake area, the Beşpınar, Kışla, Hayırlı and Kavaklıboğaz streams that carry the rainfall falling in the basin to the lake, and the water coming from the Büyük Menderes River during rainy seasons.
The water depth, which was five or six meters, dropped to 130 cm.
Due to climate change, the region hasn't had any rain since March this year due to extreme heat. Water depths, which had been around 5-6 meters in previous years, have dropped to 130 cm.
While the lake's water level is likely due to drought, one of the most significant causes is the mining pits in the Beşparmak Mountains. The mineral soil, which flows into the lake with rainfall, fills the lake bottom, shallowing it and reducing its water volume.
No one takes the report into consideration
In the 2007 research report on Lake Azap by the Süleyman Demirel University Eğirdir Faculty of Fisheries, it was stated that "Any intervention in the water system within the basin will affect all living creatures and areas dependent on water throughout the basin, and the most important condition for a wetland to be healthy is the presence of high-quality and sufficient water and the maintenance of this water's existence in the system in its natural rhythm."
White-tailed Eagle and Jungle Cat…
Myus, one of the 12 Ionian cities, and the Azap Lake, rich in natural and cultural assets and thousands of years old rock tombs located around the lake, are home to predators such as the Reed Cat (Felis chaus) and the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), which are endangered species.
It's also a key feeding ground for Dalmatian pelicans (Pelacanus crispus), a globally endangered species, along with many other bird species. Lake Azap is among the key destinations for ecotourism development in the Aydın region.
NOTE: For this news and photographs, the articles of Bahattin Sürücü (EKODOSD/KUŞADASI) were used.
Turkish