Türkiye moves to jail polluters under sweeping new Water Law

ANKARA

Türkiye is preparing to introduce prison sentences for those who pollute groundwater or drill unauthorized wells, as part of a comprehensive new Water Law aimed at tackling growing water scarcity and improving resource management.

Drafted by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, the legislation is in its final stages of technical review and is expected to be enacted in parliament ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which Türkiye will host in November.

Under the draft law, individuals who contaminate groundwater, open unlicensed wells or carry out unauthorized drilling activities could face between one and three years in prison, along with significant judicial fines.

Equipment used in such activities would also be subject to seizure.

The bill also introduces a range of administrative penalties to curb excessive and unregulated water use.

Those who fail to obtain “green” and “turquoise” water efficiency certificates could be fined between 100,000 Turkish Liras (around $2,200) and 5 million liras ($110,600).

Municipalities that fail to reduce water loss in drinking water systems to target levels would face financial penalties, calculated annually per capita.

Local administrations that do not implement drought-resistant landscaping in at least 30 percent of urban green spaces could also be fined.

In an effort to encourage sustainable practices, the draft includes incentives for water treatment infrastructure.

Public authorities that establish and operate drinking water treatment plants in line with national standards would receive up to a 50 percent discount on electricity costs, with the possibility of increasing this support to 100 percent by presidential decree.

The proposed law comes as Türkiye faces increasing water stress due to climate change, population growth and inefficient water use.

Recurring droughts in recent years have led to declining reservoir levels, particularly in major cities such as the capital Ankara and the western province of İzmir.