Innovative Solutions in Fighting Drought

​ ​Drought is an environmental crisis with an increasing impact in recent years both in Türkiye and across the world. It affects not only agriculture and potable water resources, but also energy generation, ecosystems, and urban life. However, drought is not a one-type problem; it can emerge in different forms and due to different reasons. Thus, the first step to understand drought is to really grasp its types and reasons.

Drought, in simplest terms, is a reduction in water resources in a specific area as a result of long-term absence of precipitation. However, drought can be analyzed under three main titles in terms of its impacts and reasons:

• Meteorological Drought: This is the state of decrease in precipitation to below the average in a specific area for a long time. This is the most frequently observed type of drought. This drought is triggered by an increase in temperatures and irregularity in precipitation.

• Agricultural Drought: This is the state in which plant cultivation is interrupted due to soil not holding enough moisture. This type of drought may increase due to over irrigation or wrong irrigation techniques in addition to scarcity of precipitation.

• Hydrological Drought: This is the state in which the levels of dams, lakes, and underground water resources decrease in the long-term. This state creates difficulty in meeting agricultural and urban water demands. It can create serious problems in especially the supply of potable water.

These types can occasionally intersect with each other. For example, if a meteorological drought lasts a long time, it will bring agricultural and hydrological drought with it. Thus, it is most of the time inadequate to try and solve drought in a single area.

Although drought looks like a natural event, it is obvious that human activities accelerate this process. Especially the increase in urbanization, industrialization, and destruction of nature in the last 50 years made drought more frequent and more destructive.

Here are the main factors which increase drought events:

• Climate Change: Global warming increase temperatures and changes precipitation regimes. And this leads to long-term drought in some regions and to extreme precipitation events in some others. Heat waves increase vaporization, causing water to remain in soil for shorter periods.

• Uncontrolled Water Usage: Senseless water consumption in agriculture, industry and domestic utilization leads to rapid exhaustion of underground water resources in particular. Over 70% of water used in agriculture in Türkiye is still wasted through conventional and inefficient irrigation methods.

For more information about water used in agriculture, please check out our related blog post here.

• Deforestation and Concretion: Trees are living systems that help the soil retain water. Deforestation reduces feeding of underground water resources as well as causing soil erosion. Similarly, intense concretion in the cities causes storm water to flow on the surface without leaking into the soil, thus water resources cannot be fed.

When all these reasons are combined, drought becomes a common problem for cities and big metropolises rather than being a problem merely for rural areas. Therefore, solution recommendations should be realized by considering both local and global scales.

​ ​Fighting drought is a very complicated issue today that cannot be resolved merely using rain prayers. Technology comes into play as conventional methods remain inadequate. Today, innovative solutions, developed across the world by both public and private sector, give hope to conserve water resources and ensure sustainable management. These technologies do not only ensure water savings, but they also increase productivity and provide systematic solutions.

​ ​It is real even though it looks like science fiction: Systems are being developed to produce potable water from the moisture in the air. These devices condense the moisture in the air and transform it into potable water following a filtering process. These systems operating with electricity offer a sustainable solution, especially in the areas where electricity is generated via solar panels.

Agriculture is a sector which consumes the highest levels of water in the world. Conventional irrigation methods waste the majority of water. However, this situation is changing now thanks to technological solutions. Thanks to smart irrigation systems, only the needed amount of water is given to the soil following analyses of soil, plant and weather conditions.

Moreover, artificial intelligence is also a part of smart irrigation systems now.

​ ​Another issue that is as important as clean water is re-utilization of used water. Gray water generated at households, businesses, and industrial organizations (lightly polluted water coming from sources such as sinks, showers, and washing machines) can be reused after being treated. Wastewater recovery is critical in terms of sustainability of urban infrastructures. It reduces water consumption as well as minimizing the environmental damage of wastewater.

​ ​For countries experiencing four seasons with specific precipitation periods, such as Türkiye, collection of rainwater presents an invaluable opportunity. This potential, however, has been ignored for a long time. Awareness started to increase in recent years thanks to the steps taken by municipalities and individual users.

Transforming agriculture is critical in fighting drought. Because the amount of water used in agriculture constitutes nearly 70% of the global water consumption. Conventional methods both wastewater and rapidly deplete soil. Therefore, sustainable and water retaining agricultural techniques become increasingly important. Here are some promising methods in this area:

Seeds Resistant to Drought

The future of agriculture depends on seeds resistant to climate change. Some plant species can grow with less water, giving high yield. These species are generally traditional, domestic seeds that have adapted to the climate.

Advantages of seeds resistant to drought:

• High yield potential with less water

• Resistance to environmental stresses such as soil salinity and temperature

• Less need for chemical fertilizers

Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is an agricultural method that is in harmony with nature, improving soil and retaining carbon. This is one of the most effective practices in avoiding drought. The aim in this system is not only to cultivate produce, but also to increase the vitality and moisture retaining capacity of the soil.

Please check out our blog post titled Sustainable Agriculture and Importance of Heirloom Varieties.

Regenerative agriculture can be used in both small and large farmlands. It provides long-term productivity by improving soil health alongside water savings.

Vertical and Indoor Agriculture

There is a brand-new model which uses almost zero water to cultivate produce, in which agriculture is brought to the city: vertical agriculture and indoor agriculture. In these methods, the production is made in water-based systems under controlled conditions. It is an effective solution especially for areas with water scarcity. Vertical agriculture is currently extensively used by initiatives that provide fresh produce to restaurants in big cities. This model provides a strong alternative for drought while also opening up a way to re-localize agriculture.

Drought is now directly affecting not only rural areas, but also cities. Increasing concretion, inadequate infrastructure, and uncontrolled consumption make cities vulnerable to the water crisis. However, the cities are also at the center of the solution. Thanks to new technologies, designs in harmony with nature, and data-focused practices, cities can become more sustainable and more resistant to drought.

Water-positive Buildings: Building which can produce their own water demands through systems such as rainwater collection, gray water recycling, and water-efficient devices are becoming increasingly widespread.

Smart Water Supply Networks: Sensor-supported infrastructures detect water leakages, track water consumption, and offer an opportunity to intervene simultaneously.

Drought-resistant Landscape Design:
Using low-water demanding plants, and heirloom species instead of grass in city parks enables conservation of green areas while also ensuring water saving.

Rainwater Harvesting: Many structures, from houses to malls, are able to collect rainwater to use in cleaning and landscape irrigation.

Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens: Vacant lots, roofs, and even car parks are being opened for agricultural production to contribute to food security as well as creating water-efficient production areas.

Cities can become leading actors in fighting drought with accurate planning and smart investments, as long as solution-focused steps that consider the future are taken.

Check out our blog post titled Smart City Technologies.

​ ​Drought is not a remote possibility anymore; it is a reality that is waiting at our door. How we use water in agriculture, cities, and our houses determines the course of our future. It is possible to take powerful steps to avoid this crisis thanks to innovative technologies, sustainable agriculture methods, smart transformation of cities, and individual awareness. This, however, is not only the responsibility of experts or organizations; contribution of each individual is vital. Because conserving water is actually conserving life. The future is shaped through these conscious steps we take today. ​