Support for Turkish efforts to prevent and reduce effects of agricultural pollution on water resources

Turkey’s economic growth and the rapid development of agricultural sector in recent years have put significant pressure on surface and groundwater in the country. Nitrate pollution is a serious problem and already five years ago, the Turkish Government issued a regulation to prevent and reduce the negative effects of farming activities on water resources.

Under that law, agricultural pollution is monitored by the Nitrate Information System (NIBIS) while nitrate vulnerable zones are established and nitrate action plans (NAPs) are prepared. Nitrate vulnerable zones are areas that affect natural freshwater lakes, other freshwater resources, estuaries and coastal waters that are eutrophic or might become eutrophic due to agricultural pollution unless precautions are taken.

Turkey’s progress to make agricultural activities environmentally, economically and socially sustainable and provide a healthy food source for consumers received a boost recently when a +€2M EU project kicked off in Ankara at a ceremony with more than 150 participants. The “Protection of Waters against Agricultural Pollution through the Establishment of a Monitoring and Reporting Methodology for Nitrate Action Plans” Project ‒ NEPIZ for short ‒ is a two-year project.

Under NEPIZ, a NAP monitoring methodology will be developed. Methodology and reporting tools will be integrated into NIBIS, Turkey’s web-based data collection system that monitors, maps and reports nitrate pollution from 4,846 measurement stations. NEPIZ will also enhance the technical capacities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s central and provincial personnel in monitoring and reporting the NAPs and raise awareness among farmers and other stakeholders about this critical environmental issue.

You can learn more about this project in this brochure available in English.