Drought in Ankara Praying for water

Aug 16th 2007 | ANKARA
From The Economist print edition
A water shortage that may reflect bad management as much as drought


THE Vatican's ambassador to Turkey, Monsignor Antonio Lucibello, sees building bridges between Islam and Christianity as one of his duties. Last week, he was on a different mission: imploring God for rain, before a congregation of fellow diplomats.

His pleas, echoed by imams in sermons throughout the capital, have yet to be heard. Ankara is experiencing one of the worst droughts in recent history. The city's 4m residents have suffered protracted water rationing: some have had no running water for ten days. Nerves are stretched, as temperatures hover around 40°C. “My wife stinks, my children stink, I stink,” complained Nezih Tatlici, an accountant who said he hadn't had a bath in over a week.

The city's mayor, Melih Gokcek, faces calls to resign after advising citizens to “take a holiday” and, like him, “wash your hair, not your bodies.” What incenses them is that Mr Gokcek blames the water shortage on climate change, even though Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul, is largely unaffected. There is a drought, but Turkey is a mountainous country with lots of water. Reservoirs feeding Ankara have been allowed to fall to only 4% of capacity.

Critics point to mismanagement of resources and poor planning as the real problem. Mr Gokcek has lavished millions on parks and fountains the city can no longer keep going. In Gaziosmanpasa, an upper-class enclave, rows of grass lawns have been burnt dark brown after municipal bans on the watering of gardens. Stray dogs are dropping dead. Hygiene has become such a concern that hospitals are delaying non-critical surgery. Some embassies have rented hotel rooms so that their staff can have a bath; others have postponed official functions. This week Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, summoned Mr Gokcek to demand an explanation.

The mayor insists that a project to divert water from the nearby Kizilirmak river, supposed to be finished by November, will do the trick. Meanwhile he says the “only solution” is that “the Almighty gives us rain or snow.” A growing number of residents have a better idea: getting rid of Mr Gokcek.