Turkey
Project 2: Rooftop rainwater harvesting in Kuyumcu Tekke village For many poor communities in Turkey's Central Anatolia Plateau, access to safe and reliable drinking water is not taken for granted. Many rely on groundwater or reservoirs to meet their needs. In recent years, however, groundwater depletion, poor water quality and the high costs associated with water extraction have made groundwater a less reliable option. Sedimentation has reduced the capacity of existing reservoirs to an extent that they are no longer viable year round. The village of Kuyumcu Tekke near the historic town of Beypazari struggled with limited access to drinking water after the local reservoir dried up. The village has a central water depot, but its capacity was so low that it could only provide water for one hour a day; in the drier summer months, this period dropped to 30 minutes a day. The village sits 240 metres above Beypazari. This altitude difference is enough to make piping water from Beypazari prohibitively expensive. With no reliable source of water in the village, residents were left to fetch water from elsewhere — a chore that most often fell on women and girls. As water became increasingly scarce, villagers began to abandon their homes. Every Drop Matters worked hand-in-hand with the residents of Kuyumcu Tekke to implement a rainwater harvesting project that would enable the village to meet it water needs without expensive, labour-intensive, or otherwise unsustainable actions. Rooftop harvesting collects rainwater through a gutter system that feeds into a storage tank. The water is purified through a simple but effective sand filter before being piped into the house. Using this system, households in Kuyumcu Tekke are now able to meet their water needs year-round with clean, safe water.
At a glance: Rooftop water harvesting in Kuyumcu Tekke, Turkey Dates: 2007-2009 Partners: UNDP, TCCC, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Beypazari Municipality. Budget: $120,000
Technology transfer through a fully participatory approach
Number of people reached: More than 30 households in Kuyumcu Tekke gained access to water and improved sanitation through rooftop water harvesting systems. Inhabitants of nearby villages also benefited by learning about a water collection method that they have now replicated in their own homes.
Every Drop Matters collaborated with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) in the Kuyumcu Tekke project. The village was selected as the project site following a series of meetings in 2007 between ICARDA, the Every Drop Matters Regional Partnership Coordinator and the Mayor of Beypazari.
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