Water security challenges of Ankara City in Turkey: Lessons from climate change impact and the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Climate change and the COVID‐19 pandemic posed significant challenges for Ankara city in Turkey. The city authorities have taken a number of strategic and operational measures to improve water security. This paper explores the linkages of regular forces such as climate change and disasters, as well as disruptive forces like pandemics, sudden shocks, and actions needed to overcome the resulting challenges. Based on 13 key informant interviews with a semi‐structured questionnaire and literature review, the existing water security situation is explored in relation to climate change and the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Ankara is still behind in terms of climate‐related adaptation practices and management. Financial resources are inadequate, so policy measures like neighborhood‐level responsibility‐sharing frameworks, resilience integration into existing policies and involving local people in policymaking, and developing capacity building for local government can help to ensure Ankara's water security.

The Condition of Climate Change Adaptation in Polish Municipalities Before and After the Pandemic on the Basis of Cso Environmental Indicators - Management Implications

“…Ankara is still lagging behind in climate-related adaptation and management practices. Financial resources are scarce, so policy measures such as sharing responsibility at the neighborhood level, integrating resilience into existing policies and involving residents in policy-making, and building local government capacity can help ensure Ankara's water security [2]. It's not just about dealing with the effects of a pandemic, but also about the need for a synergy of mitigation and adaptation measures in the context of climate change and the transition to a low-or zero-carbon development paradigm.…”

21. Yüzyıl’da Sosyal Bilimler: Tarih, Ekonomi, Eğitim ve İletişim

“…Yine, su güvenliğini sağlamak ve iklimin neden olduğu etkilerle başa çıkmak için, yüzey suyu kullanımının arttırılması ve yeraltı suyuna bağımlılığın kaydırılması gerekir. Mevcut yüzey su kütlelerinin doğru kullanımını sağlamak için küçük ve büyük ölçekli arıtma tesislerine çok ihtiyaç vardır (Ahsan, 2020). Doğal afetler de su güvenliğini tehdit etmektedir.…”

Assessing Groundwater Level Declination in Dhaka City and Identifying Adaptation Options for Sustainable Water Supply

“…Though many studies are available on water management in cities, the studies available on Dhaka city are only a few. Ahsan [23] examined some water sector adaptation strategies where new and potential opportunities and strategies were proposed for Dhaka and also for Ankara. The author suggested small-and large-scale surface water treatment plants as supply-side adaptation strategies, and the use of technologies such as auto-switching pump controllers, water metering systems and freshwater automated teller machine booths, along with long-term behavioral changes as demand-side adaptation strategies to reduce water consumption by users.…”