ASKİ warned: ‘Don’t risk your life while entering the water to cool off’

General Directorate of ASKI warned citizens who enter dams to cool off from extreme heat during summer months. In the statement made by ASKI officials, a warning was issued saying ‘Do not risk your life.’ ASKI General Directorate emphasized that the dam basins supplying drinking and utility water to the Capital and the streams feeding the dams are in a ‘special protection area,’ reiterating the warning that swimming, engaging in activities that would pollute the water, having picnics, and making fires in the area are dangerous and prohibited. ASKI teams and security forces, who continue their routine inspections in the 10 dam basins supplying water to Ankara, repeatedly announce that ‘entering the water is dangerous and prohibited’ especially in summer. Officials from ASKI, who made statements regarding the issue, stated the following: ‘We are in the summer months and our citizens, who are tired of the heat, enter the dams to cool off. In terms of safety, it is crucial not to swim in dams, streams, lakes, and ponds. These are definitely not swimming areas; do not risk your life. These areas are not suitable for swimming due to the accumulation of clay and silty material coming from the upper basin to the dam lake with superficial flow. The sole purpose of the dams is to provide drinking and utility water to our city.’ Reminding that having picnics and making fires in the dam areas is dangerous and prohibited, officials also stated that citizens should make maximum efforts to protect the dams that are within the ‘special protection area.’ Officials expressing that throwing garbage and similar materials into the streams feeding the dam basin will adversely affect the quality of the water source, stated the following: ‘As ASKI, we kindly request our citizens to carefully avoid all activities that would pollute our water. Please do not throw garbage into the streams. In order for the quality and safety of the drinking water provided by ASKI to the people of Ankara to be ensured, the protection of the water source is also of great importance. Protecting the water source reduces treatment costs. Those who have picnics in the tea garden pollute the water, and the dirty water flows into the dam basin. Municipalities collect the waste in these areas continuously and send them to waste storage areas, but the overlooked ones inevitably end up in the dam basin.’ ASKI officials, stating that there have been 15 drowning incidents in the dam areas since 2016, are taking a series of measures to prevent loss of lives; such as placing warning signs around the dam and the streams supplying water to the dam, building wire fences where the terrain permits, preventing vehicle access to the area, continuously conducting basin control using boats or drones within the dam lake, and increasing the number of patrols.