Illustrated by Julianne Park.
Lake Tuz is the second-largest lake in Turkey. It is one of the largest hypersaline lakes globally and contains significantly high and concentrated amounts of salt, like sodium chloride.
Over the past two weeks, a severe drought dried the once beautiful waters of Lake Tuz into a cracked and barren flat land full of the shriveled dead bodies of flamingos.
According to Mert Ozkan in his article “Thousands of Flamingos die in drought in central Turkey“, every year more than “10,000 flaminglets are born” in the flamingo colonies that thrive in the waters of Lake Tuz. Unfortunately, according to Fahri Tunc, an environmentalist and wildlife photographer, this year, only 5,000 flamingos were born.
What is the reason?
Although Bekir Pakdemirli, the Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, denies that agriculture played a role in the drought, many others disagree.
According to a Turkish Environmental Foundation report last year, Turkey’s demand for water exceeded the supply. Many activists blame the agricultural techniques relating to irrigation as the primary reason for the drought.
Fahri Tunc explains how Lake Tuz’s water came through an irrigation canal from Konya. But movement through the canal has halted, and the water was not flowing to the lake.
Lake Tuz is home to thousands of bird species and a large wetland crucial to many other organisms. Human activity, as of now, is a primary suspect for the mass death of flamingos. Our irrigation methods may result in much more than droughts, though.
We need to change agricultural methods to prevent future tragedies.
Check out other sources for more information.
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/2019/06/14/flamingos-invade-lake-tuz-creating-very-scenic-view
https://gizmodo.com/thousands-of-flamingos-in-turkey-killed-in-devastating-1847318890
Works Cited
AA, Daily Sabah with. “Flamingos Invade Lake Tuz, Creating Very Scenic View.” Daily Sabah, 14 June 2019, www.dailysabah.com/life/2019/06/14/flamingos-invade-lake-tuz-creating-very-scenic-view. Accessed 7 Feb. 2023.
Ozkan, Mert. “Thousands of Flamingos Die in Drought in Central Turkey.” Reuters, 15 July 2021, www.reuters.com/business/environment/thousands-flamingos-die-drought-central-turkey-2021-07-15/.
—. “Thousands of Flamingos Die in Drought in Central Turkey | Cyprus Mail.” Https://Cyprus-Mail.com/, 20 July 2021, cyprus-mail.com/2021/07/20/thousands-of-flamingos-die-in-drought-in-central-turkey/#:~:text=Thousands%20of%20baby%20flamingos%20have. Accessed 7 Feb. 2023.
“Sign Petition: 5,000 Baby Flamingos Died Because Humans Took Their Water!” Www.thepetitionsite.com, www.thepetitionsite.com/772/202/954/5000-baby-flamingos-died-because-humans-took-their-water/?TAP=1732. Accessed 7 Feb. 2023.
“Thousands of Flamingos in Turkey Killed in Devastating Drought.” Gizmodo, 19 July 2021, gizmodo.com/thousands-of-flamingos-in-turkey-killed-in-devastating-1847318890. Accessed 7 Feb. 2023.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect nor represent the Earth Chronicles and its editorial board.
