Are you ready for the journey of the Büyük Menderes River,
which has given life to many civilizations and creatures for thousands of years?
Today, if we still have Aydın's cotton, figs, olives,
Denizli's Pamukkale, grapes, Uşak's carpets,
we owe it to the Büyük Menderes.
But all these beauties are in danger.
We must transform the Büyük Menderes Basin
and use water resources more efficiently, before it's too late!
BÜYÜK MENDERES
Have you ever thought about the journey of a river? What does it bring to life during its journey over thousands of years? We can answer this question for the Büyük Menderes River: It gives life to Lake Işıklı in Denizli, Lake Bafa in Aydın and the entire Büyük Menderes Delta, which is a creation of its might. It gives life to more than 30 endemic plant species not seen anywhere else in the world, to the Dalmatian pelican and to the Tavas frog, endemic to its basin. It nurtures cities and Pamukkale, a World Heritage Site. It provides a water lifeline for cotton plants and fig trees; it keeps industry alive. What's more, it becomes the source of life for us, humans.
What about us? How much do we care about its presence and health?
The Büyük Menderes River is threatened because of the way we use water. Our efforts to protect the river in exchange for what it has offered us have not been enough so far, and it is losing strength every day. To help the river survive, we have to get to know it first. So, if you are ready, let’s go and meet the Büyük Menderes. Let's slow down and take a break to trace the river from where it begins to where it flows into the sea.
1- AFYON SUÇIKAN
Our first stop is Dinar, a district of Afyon province. One of the main tributaries of the source of Büyük Menderes is the Suçıkan Stream, located in Suçıkan district. Away from human interference, Suçıkan still remains unpolluted, and its crystal clear waters keep flowing.
2- KAKLIK CAVE
Imagine Pamukkale's travertine terraces inside a cave, spotless white travertine glowing in darkness... We are in Kaklık Cave, in the small town of Kaklık, in Honaz, Denizli, right alongside the river. Locally known as Little Pamukkale, the cave offers a visual feast of stalactites and stalagmites. Natural pools in the cave are the life source of an endemic killifish species, which cannot be found elsewhere in the world. Its survival depends on this incredibly special water source.
3- ÇÜRÜKSU STREAM
Our next stop is again within the provincial borders of Denizli. Here, we meet the Çürüksu Stream, one of the main tributaries feeding the Büyük Menderes. Unfortunately, the Çürüksu Stream is under intense pressure from pollution due to urban and industrial wastewater. This affects the water quality, which dips to very low levels at certain places. Extremely hot wastewater from textile dyehouses causes sudden changes in the water temperature, threatening the lives of aquatic species. Additionally, the lifeblood of Denizli's economy, the textile industry, and by extension the regional economy are at risk.
4- GEOTHERMAL PLANTS-İNCİRLİOVA
The fourth stop of our journey is İncirliova. This region stands out in terms of its high geothermal power plant density. 35 of Turkey’s 48 geothermal plants are based in the Büyük Menderes Basin. These geothermal plants are located in or near grade 1 farmlands.
Geothermal power is considered to be a renewable energy source. Nevertheless, wastewater with high chemical content from the power plants is discharged into streams; these chemicals, including boron and arsenic, mix into the water that is used for irrigation and pose a grave threat to our food, nature and human health.
5- SÖKE PLAIN
On our fifth stop, we arrive at the Söke Plain, which consists of alluvial soils carried by the Büyük Menderes over a period of 5,000 years. The plain is one of Turkey's largest cotton-growing areas. Sadly, the water quality in Söke Plain is very low because of the pollution carried by the Büyük Menderes from the upper basin, combined with the pollution from agricultural chemicals and fertilizers used in cotton production.
Flood irrigation is the most widely used technique across the plain with very low water usage efficiency. Most of the water used is lost due to evaporation, using more water than needed for agricultural activities. Flood irrigation leads to soil erosion, salinization and using more fertilizers and pesticides. Söke is among the regions that will be affected by drought in the near term due to climate change; the sustainability of cotton production and the future of households living on cotton are at risk due to inefficient water use.
6- LAKE BAFA
Now we stop at Lake Bafa, along the foot of the Beşparmak Mountains. The sea passage between this body of water, which used to be a gulf named Latmos, and the sea was gradually closed by alluvial sediments brought by the Büyük Menderes. The lake and its surroundings are home to 325 plant, 261 bird, 22 reptile and 19 mammal species. One of the most important assets of the lake is the critically endangered European eel. Coming from the Gulf of Mexico, the European eel reaches the coasts of Europe and the Mediterranean, finds its way to Lake Bafa and becomes an important source of livelihood for the lake communities. The future of the greater flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans are dependent on a healthy environment at Lake Bafa as well as the lake's inhabitants’ future, living off the European eel. The biggest threat to this lake is pollution caused by agriculture and industry.
7- MILETUS ANCIENT CITY
We continue on to our seventh stop, the ancient town of Miletus, reminding us of the basin's thousands of years of history. These lands, where Thales, the father of geometry and one of the founders of philosophy, was born and raised in the 6th century B.C., inspired his theory that water is the essence and building block of everything. According to his theory, water is the arkhe, the source of everything. A life source for living beings, a force that structures earthly systems. Everything gains their form by water. The traces of the Büyük Menderes in history are not only hidden in Thales' existential theory. The Lycians, the first civilization to use money, honored the Büyük Menderes by using the river as a symbol on their coins. Although many civilizations passed through and left their mark in this region, which Heredotus called “the valley of civilizations”, the greatest legacy they left behind is undoubtedly the Büyük Menderes itself. We must preserve it, look after it and protect it...
8- BÜYÜK MENDERES DELTA
As the Büyük Menderes flows into the sea, we arrive at the last stop of our journey. Here we are at the Büyük Menderes Delta, where we meet azure lagoons and colorful birds. Home to a rich biodiversity, this area is an occasional stop for globally threatened Mediterranean monk seals, Eurasian otters and Caretta carettas. It is also one of the important breeding sites for the Dalmatian pelican, another globally threatened species. Most of the delta is covered with salt marshes, which with their carbon sequestration capacities make ecosystems resilient to climate change.
Most of the people around the delta make their living through agriculture and traditional lagoon fisheries. The future of the Dalmatian pelican, lagoon fisheries and cotton farmers of the region depend on the healthy continuation of delta ecosystems.
JOIN US, WATCH NOW AND SHARE
By accompanying the Büyük Menderes River on its adventure, you completed the Journey of Water and became a Water Steward! Fill out the form and support us in our effort to restore the Büyük Menderes River and all our natural water resources. If there is no water, there is no life.
Click and share so that more people experience the challenging journey of water and become water stewards.
SHARE ON FACEBOOK
SHARE ON TWİTTER
SHARE ON WHATSAPP
JOIN US, WATCH NOW AND SHARE