Ankara Residents Outraged by Four Months of Water Shortages, Appeal to Ombudsman
Ankara, January 14, 2026 – Residents of Ankara have expressed their deep frustration and anger over persistent water shortages that have plagued the city for the past four months. The prolonged lack of water, coupled with sudden and unplanned cuts, has severely disrupted daily life, leading citizens to seek recourse from the Public监督员 Institution (KDK).
The KDK has received a deluge of complaints from Ankara residents, detailing the significant impact on their daily routines. Many have highlighted the inability to perform basic hygiene tasks, such as bathing children for school, and the general breakdown of household sanitation. In their appeals, citizens have called upon the government to intervene, emphasizing the municipality’s responsibility to provide essential water services.
Unannounced Cuts and Lack of Planning
Residents have criticized the municipalities for their failure to adequately plan for water needs, attributing the ongoing shortages to a lack of timely investment in alternative water sources. “They should have planned for alternative water sources in time,” one resident stated, reflecting a common sentiment among those affected. Another common complaint centers on the lack of communication regarding scheduled outages. “We only find out about a 12-hour water cut when the water actually stops,” a frustrated resident reported, highlighting the absence of proper notification.
Ombudsman Initiates Investigation
Mehmet Akarca, the Chief Public监督员 of Turkey, has taken action on the complaints. KDK experts will engage with the water service-providing municipalities to gather information on measures being taken to address the citizens’ grievances. The municipalities will be reminded of their legal obligations to resolve the issue, with potential sanctions outlined in legislation to be invoked if no satisfactory solution is found.
Unplanned Cuts Continue Despite Assurances
Despite Mayor Mansur Yavaş’s earlier announcement that water cuts had ended, Ankara continues to experience frequent and sudden outages. These “planned cuts,” often attributed to “malfunctions,” have persisted for over four months without a permanent resolution. Areas such as Mamak, Çankaya, Yenimahalle, Ayaş, and Elmadağ are particularly affected by these unplanned disruptions.
Underinvestment and Record Losses
Criticism regarding insufficient infrastructure investments has been mounting since 2019. Reports from the Court of Accounts and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry reveal that the water loss and leakage rate has reached a staggering 37%, equivalent to approximately 65 million cubic meters of water. Furthermore, the price of water has seen a dramatic increase, rising from approximately 5 TL per cubic meter in 2019 to 156 TL in 2025, a 3024% surge. Data from the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) indicates that as of January 2026, active dam occupancy has plummeted to 4.7%, with delays in the installation of pumping systems also cited as a contributing factor to the crisis.
