Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

In a speech today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that "protecting the country's water resources is no longer an option, but rather a necessity."

The speech came during his participation in the opening ceremony of the "Ilisu Dam" in the state of Mardin, southeastern Turkey. Erdogan stressed the necessity of preserving water resources, managing them correctly, and using them efficiently as they are nearing depletion.

The Turkish president also indicated on Twitter that "it is understood that a struggle similar to the one for oil will be experienced in the coming period for water resources and food production,” adding “with this understanding, we will continue to prepare our country for the future through agriculture, water, and energy, as in many other fields.”

This comes at a time when water levels in Turkey are extremely low due to a significant lack of rainfall, which caused the most severe drought in the country in a decade.

Major cities across Turkey risk running out of water in the upcoming few months. This includes Istanbul, which has less than 45 days of water reserves left.

Last week, agricultural fields in southeastern Turkey witnessed rain for the first time in 8 months, following a wave of drought caused by climate change.