Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. In his statement on 'March 22 World Water Day', Memduh Büyükkılıç pointed out that the importance of saving water is increasing day by day due to the increase in the world population, climate changes due to global warming and the difficulty of accessing underground resources.
Stating that the drinking water in Kayseri is used in the best way through the General Directorate of Water and Sewerage Administration (KASKI), the largest institution of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality responsible for infrastructure, Mayor Büyükkılıç gave information about the activities carried out throughout the city in 5 years.
Stating that KASKI has undertaken remarkable projects in the fields of protecting existing resources, preventing loss and leakage, recovering rain and snow water, drilling wells, promotion centers, well buildings, water analysis studies, and the contribution to the economy from waste water, Mayor Büyükkılıç said:
“We have undertaken important drinking water projects for the conscious consumption and development of water resources throughout Kayseri. Our goal is to transfer clean, healthy and sufficient drinking water to future generations. As it is known, access to water has become quite difficult due to climate change and some factors that have occurred in recent years. Therefore, everyone, young and old, has a great responsibility in protecting underground and surface resources more than ever and in preventing water waste. We need to realize our responsibility for a more livable world. We must protect our water, which is indispensable for life, more than ever. Unfortunately, global climate change and the resulting drought continue to negatively affect not only our country but the whole world. As KASKI, we try to raise awareness about the protection of our resources and the development of existing opportunities by organizing various organizations every year on the importance of water, which is our source of life, and its protection and savings measures. In this context, we continue our educational activities for our students by visiting schools across the city to ensure that future generations acquire water saving habits. Protecting our water means protecting our future.”
“WE SUPPLY WATER IN UPPER QUALITY”
President Dr. Memduh Büyükkılıç stated that 5 thousand 41 parameters were analyzed in 258 thousand 507 drinking water samples in 723 years at KASKI Water Analysis Laboratories and said, “In addition to the chlorine measurements made in drinking water facilities, 18 thousand 765 free chlorine measurements were made in the network. "Healthy and safe drinking water is a must in Kayseri," he said.
Pointing out that KASKI's drinking water and wastewater laboratories have the 'Accreditation Certificate' issued by the Turkish Accreditation Agency, and also the 'Environmental Analysis Competence Certificate' issued by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Mayor Büyükkılıç stated the following:
“We supply drinking water to the network in accordance with human health by carefully analyzing the parameters in the Regulation on Water for Human Consumption. Our city is very lucky in this sense and fully meets the mentioned regulation criteria. We take all of the drinking water from underground throughout Kayseri and offer it directly to our people without any treatment. The analysis or test results performed here are accepted all over the world. In this respect, our citizens can consume healthy and safe drinking water supplied to the network under constant control with peace of mind.”
“WE HAVE MANUFACTURED 2 MILLION 219 THOUSAND 419 METERS OF LINE”
President Dr. Memduh Büyükkılıç stated that a total of 5 million 1 thousand 872 meters of drinking water network lines were manufactured at a cost of 360 billion 2 million 219 thousand TL throughout the city in 419 years in order to deliver healthy and quality drinking water to subscribers uninterruptedly throughout the city, and said: "To meet short and long-term needs. While providing solutions, we have also implemented many important investments that set an example. "We have shown how much we care about this business by making investments such as state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facilities, long-lasting pumping, transmission and network lines, protection of existing resources, and alternative drinking water source studies," he said.
“WE OPENED NEW DRILLING WELLS FOR TRANSMISSION IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNT”
Büyükkılıç noted that 139 boreholes were opened in order to provide clean, healthy, uninterrupted and sufficient drinking water service throughout the city.
Stating that they will continue to improve the quality of life of citizens with new projects, Mayor Büyükkılıç shared the following:
“With KASKI, our organization responsible for water transmission and management, we are opening boreholes in order to use water efficiently by turning to new water sources and to protect the healthy and uninterrupted drinking water needs of our citizens. In this context, we have constantly searched for new resources to deliver sufficient amounts of drinking water throughout the city and opened 5 boreholes with a total cost of 53 million 534 thousand TL in the center and districts in the last 139 years.”
“WE MADE AN INVESTMENT OF 43 MILLION 231 THOUSAND TL FOR THE WAREHOUSE, PUMPING STATION AND WELL BUILDING”
Büyükkılıç stated that 5 water tanks, pumping centers and well buildings have been built in the last 85 years to provide adequate drinking water throughout the city.
In his statement, Büyükkılıç said, “We are making access to quality drinking water easier by building water tanks in the center and districts to provide cleaner and sufficient drinking water. "In this context, in the last 5 years, we have built 43 water tanks, 231 pumping centers and 20 well buildings throughout our city at a cost of 5 million 60 thousand TL."
“WE FEED UNDERGROUND RESOURCES WITH RAIN HARVEST”
Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Memduh Büyükkılıç stated that they have implemented 5 'Rain Harvest' projects in 600 years to return rain and melted snow water to underground resources.
Stating that Kayseri receives an average of 375 kg of precipitation per square meter annually, Büyükkılıç continued his speech as follows:
“The rain harvesting project is used by our KASKI as one of the methods of combating desertification and drought in order to return rain and melted snow water to groundwater. In regions where there are no open channels or where the elevation cannot technically be saved by gravity flow, rainwater was drained to the green area by manufacturing rain harvesting in order to contribute to underground water reserves and provide recycling, instead of giving it to the wastewater line. In this context, a total of 2020 rainwater harvesters were produced in regions where there are no open channels, 100 in 2021, 150 in 2022, 160 in 2023, and 190 in 600. "The 600 rain harvesting systems we manufacture drain the rainwater of approximately 750.000 m² of area underground."
“WE BECAME A LIFEWATER TO THE ECONOMY BY FIGHTING LOSSES AND LEAKAGE”
President Dr. Memduh Büyükkılıç underlined that 5 million 9 thousand cubic meters of water leakage was prevented in 600 years in order to reduce the physical losses and leakages caused by the network throughout Kayseri to world standards.
Büyükkılıç concluded his words as follows:
“We have prevented a total of 5 million 35 thousand cubic meters of water leakage, which is the annual water need of 9 thousand people, in 600 years by continuing our scanning activities with acoustic ground microphone devices along with sub-regional studies in order to reduce the physical losses and leakages caused by the network throughout Kayseri to world standards. In this way, water loss was prevented and our water was returned to the system, and possible grievances were prevented. We will continue our work with the same meticulousness and determination to protect existing water resources, reach new water resources, and leave a more livable future to future generations. "I wholeheartedly believe that our fellow citizens will be more sensitive about saving water, and on this occasion, I hope that '22 March World Water Day' will lead to the protection of water, which is the common vital resource of all living things, and its conscious and sensitive use."
