Türkiye could join the ranks of countries facing freshwater shortages in the coming years as population growth and climate change place increasing pressure on the nation's water resources.

The country is considered water-secure when annual renewable water resources exceed 1,700 cubic meters per person, The Caspian Post reports via TRT Haber.

In Türkiye, however, the figure currently stands at around 1,301 cubic meters per capita per year, based on the country's technically and economically accessible water potential of 112 billion cubic meters.

The declining availability of water per person could push Türkiye closer to water scarcity in the future, highlighting the urgent need for more efficient and sustainable water management.

Türkiye stressed the importance of conserving water resources, improving resource planning, and maximizing the use of available water supplies through integrated management strategies.

To address the challenge, Türkiye plans to modernize infrastructure across 25 hydrological basins nationwide. The initiative will focus on reducing water losses in irrigation systems, upgrading drainage networks that affect soil quality, and replacing traditional open-channel irrigation methods with modern closed pressurized pipeline systems.