Türkiye Tightens Wetland Water Abstraction And Environmental-Flow Rules

The rules apply within Ramsar sites, nationally important wetlands, locally important wetlands and their designated protection zones. Abstraction from a wetland, or from a source, river or stream feeding it within the wetland boundary, requires a wetland activity permit. This is a permitting change, not a general prohibition on industrial or agricultural abstraction.

Energy, irrigation and drinking-water infrastructure must release a calculated environmental flow continuously. That flow cannot be lower than the minimum set under Türkiye’s electricity-market water-use rules. Additional water must be released outside the irrigation season at the amount specified in the ecosystem assessment report to maintain the sustainable water level set in the wetland management plan. The amendment does not itself introduce a single national volume or percentage for every facility, so operators must identify the site-specific calculation and any additional conditions.

Specified privately operated water structures commissioned after 30 January 2002 must obtain the required permit within two years, by 5 September 2028. These transitional permits are valid for five years and may be renewed following verification. Existing permit terms and broader environmental authorisations remain relevant until lawfully changed.

Industrial Zones Acquire A Cumulative-Impact Responsibility

Organised industrial zones, industrial zones, free zones and specialised organised industrial zones located in controlled-use areas must prepare a cumulative-impact assessment. A single wetland activity permit may be issued to the zone management, but this does not transfer each installation’s responsibility for its own environmental obligations.

This distinction matters for manufacturers, importers and distributors operating within a managed industrial zone. A central permit can simplify the wetland interface, but it is not a compliance shield. Tenant businesses should verify whether the zone’s assessment covers their abstraction, discharge, construction and expansion profile, and whether their separate environmental permits remain aligned.

The amendment also restricts new agricultural use in sustainable-use zones. On private parcels, new activity is limited to certified organic crop or seaweed production without drainage. New agricultural land cannot be opened on public land after a protection zone is designated. The regulation does not announce contaminant thresholds, chemical restrictions or product standards.

What applies now is the permit and environmental-flow framework, including the cumulative-impact requirement. The two-year period applies only to the specified class of existing private water structures. No consultation remains open because the amendment is final and in force.

The amendment links water quantity and industrial siting. Procurement and site-expansion teams should therefore treat wetland proximity and feeder-water dependencies as early due-diligence issues, not matters to resolve only during environmental permitting. Operators should map water sources, identify protected-zone boundaries, obtain copies of zone-level assessments and document how environmental-flow requirements are met.