Reuse Pilot for Agricultural Irrigation in the Konya Closed Basin
Turkey's Grain Basket Races Against Drought
Through the pilot programme jointly run by State Hydraulic Works (DSI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the use of advanced-treated municipal wastewater for agricultural irrigation is being made standard in three districts of the Konya Closed Basin. A total of 18,000 hectares of farmland in Cihanbeyli, Karatay and Selçuklu districts have been selected as the pilot zone.
The Basin's Water Budget Gap
The Konya Closed Basin, where groundwater levels have dropped by an average of 28 metres over the past 25 years, is Turkey's most critical basin. Against an average annual agricultural irrigation demand of 4.5 billion cubic metres, the natural recharge capacity is around 3.1 billion cubic metres. The gap is directly tied to outcomes such as unsustainable groundwater abstraction and sinkhole formation.
Technical Details of the Pilot
Under the pilot, the advanced-treated effluent of three different municipal wastewater treatment plants is routed to agricultural irrigation. The crop set to be irrigated includes only:
- Grains consumed after cooking
- Industrial crops (sugar beet, sunflower)
- Forage crops
Vegetables and fruits consumed raw were deliberately excluded from the programme.
Water Quality Standards
The parameter set required for advanced-treated water in agricultural irrigation is aligned with EU and World Health Organization criteria. Strict limits for pathogens, heavy metals and microplastics are paired with a weekly flow monitoring protocol. Farmers receive a 60 percent grant for drip irrigation equipment.
Economic and Social Dimension
The pilot programme targets 22 million cubic metres of annual agricultural water savings. This volume could contribute to slowing the groundwater level decline by an average of 0.3 metres per year. Farmer adoption rate exceeded expectations at 78 percent. Data from the first three harvest seasons clearly show that the programme has not led to any drop in agricultural yield.
Scale-Up Scenario
If the pilot succeeds, the programme will be scaled across 280,000 hectares in the basin in 2027-2030. Total investment cost is projected to exceed 8 billion lira. It forms a directly replicable model for other drought-pressured basins in Turkey (Aksaray, Niğde, Karaman).
Sector Impact
By renewing the filtration, disinfection and distribution infrastructure on the agricultural irrigation line, the programme creates a new sub-market for the sector. It opens an important window of opportunity for sector players in equipment supply, engineering and long-term operations services.