TITLE:
Valuing Water Resources in Turkey: A Case Study of Beyşehir Lake
AUTHORS:
Lelia Croitoru, Buket Bahar Divrak, Jian Xie
KEYWORDS:
Water Valuation, Total Economic Value, Beyşehir Lake
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.7 No.12,
November
29,
2016
ABSTRACT: Water resource management is
critical to Turkey’s economy and environment. The country has about 112 billion
m3 per year of economically exploitable water. However, population
growth, climate change and pollution of water bodies are putting increasing
pressure on these resources. In this context, understanding the contribution of
water to the economy and environment is crucial for its conservation. To meet
this need, the World Bank launched a program aiming at improving valuation and
accounting systems of natural resources in Turkey. As part of this program,
this article estimates in monetary terms the economic value of water in
Bey?ehir Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Turkey. Valuation is based on the
Total Economic Value concept, which includes use and non-use values. The
results show that the economic value of water is about seven times higher than
its financial value. In addition, the economic value of water allocated for
municipal use (TL5/m3) is substantially greater than that supplied
for irrigation (TL0.5/m3). The analysis suggests that allocation of
water from Bey?ehir Lake among different uses is inefficient. To validate this
conclusion and improve allocation, a more comprehensive assessment of the
economic benefits of water resources is needed, particularly of water supply
for irrigation, municipal use, recreation and biodiversity. The analysis also
indicates that economic valuation can be a powerful tool to improve water
management at the river basin level.