Collapsing Soil Threatens Konya Farms
Hundreds of sudden sinkholes are swallowing farmland across Konya province in Turkey, leaving farmers in the country’s agricultural heartland in constant fear for their homes and livelihoods. NRK reported that over 700 sinkholes now scar Turkey's largest province.
Severe drought and plummeting rainfall have forced local farmers to pump out underground water faster than nature can replenish it. When subterranean water reserves disappear, the ground suddenly collapses without warning.
Living With Constant Fear
Fatih Şık, a father of four who farms in Konya, watches the ground closely every day. We live in fear,
Şık told NRK, describing how he witnessed a sinkhole open up nearby with his own eyes.
While ancient sinkholes like the 100-meter-deep Çıralı hole have existed for thousands of years, modern irrigation demands are accelerating the phenomenon. Konya produces a vast share of Turkey’s corn, wheat, and sugar beets, but water-intensive crops demand heavy groundwater extraction.
Switching to less thirsty crops is financially impossible for smallholders trying to survive. If I just plant wheat, I can’t live off it for twelve months,
Şık told NRK. To make ends meet, you have to have sugar beets and corn. One crop is not enough.
Desertification and water consumption threaten Turkey's food security
Turkey is hosting the United Nations COP31 climate summit in Antalya, drawing attention to a United Nations report showing that 88 percent of Turkey’s land area faces a high risk of desertification. The same report indicates that agriculture consumes 75 percent of the country’s water resources.
Fetullah Arık, who leads the sinkhole research center at Konya Technical University, warns that current water consumption trends threaten national food supplies. If we continue to use water in this way, in the near future we will see both more sinkholes and lower yields,
Arık told NRK. That will obviously have a serious impact on food security.
Arık notes that climate change reduces rainfall, but human water use remains a primary driver behind the multiplying craters.
What matters is the next hole,
Şık told NRK. Will it be where I live, where I sleep, where my animals are? It is heavier to live with the thought of where it will happen.
Why sinkholes are increasing in Konya province
Why are sinkholes increasing in Konya province?
According to NRK and disaster management agency AFAD data, a combination of declining rainfall and heavy groundwater extraction by farmers causes underground caverns to collapse as water tables drop.
What crops require the most water in the region?
Crops like corn and sugar beets demand much irrigation, leaving farmers reliant on intensive groundwater pumping to sustain their multi-crop yearly cycles, as reported by NRK.
How many sinkholes have formed in the area?
Disaster agency AFAD records more than 700 sinkholes across Konya province, ranging from ancient, deep formations to newly collapsed ground.
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