Solving the problem of management of surface water resources in Turkey within the planning process: case of Bakırçay River Basin

During industrialization and urbanization processes that started with the industrial revolution, the nature and its components became a commodity and utilized. In this process where natural resources were consumed rapidly and without limit, one of the most affected resources was water. Today global water resources face quantitative (drought, flood, etc.) and qualitative (pollution) problems. These problems resulted in reduction of drinking and utility fresh water resources. However eater is a scarce resource found in limited amounts in the nature. Turkey is not a water-rich country and increasingly face the problem of diminishing water resources. One of the reasons of the scarcity of fresh water resources in Turkey is the lack of allocation of water based on water potential and basin-based water conservation policies. Inefficiencies in related legal regulations, jurisdictional disputes among institutions and nonconformity of planning decisions with geographical distribution and capacity of water assets are the obstacles that conservation of water resources face. There are qualitative and quantitative issues related to water resources in all 25 river basins and sub-basins in Turkey. One of these is a sub-basin of North Aegean Basin, Bakırçay. Bakırçay is an agricultural basin at the same time, and also a tourism area with its geographical location and touristic values it possesses. Furthermore, mining facilities in the basin are also a source of revenue. All these components cause a significant spatial pressure on water resources in the region. In the present dissertation, existing inefficiencies, gaps and problems in legal, administrative and planning processes in Turkey were identified initially, and detailed investigations were focused on Bakırçay Basin, which was determined as an example. Based on the determinations made on Turkey in general and in Bakırçay Basin in particular, a basin-based planning process proposal was developed to overcome the above mentioned problems and to conserve existing water resources. Keywords: Spatial planning, water problem, Water Framework Directive, integrated water resources management, Bakırçay Basin