Turkey is facing an escalating environmental crisis as massive sinkholes continue to emerge across its central Anatolian plateau, swallowing agricultural land and raising concerns about the safety of roads, buildings and nearby settlements. The Konya basin, one of the country’s most important agricultural regions, has witnessed a growing number of these ground collapses, with some sinkholes measuring several metres in depth and width.
Known locally as ‘obruks’, these sinkholes have existed in the region for thousands of years. However, their increasing frequency has become a major concern, with studies suggesting that around 20 or more new sinkholes are appearing annually in recent years.
According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), 684 sinkholes have been documented across Konya, Karaman and Aksaray, highlighting the growing threat to the country’s agricultural heartland.
Severe Drought and Excessive Groundwater Extraction Fuel the Crisis
The increasing sinkhole activity is linked to a combination of prolonged drought, climate change and excessive groundwater extraction for agriculture.
The Konya basin receives relatively little rainfall, making underground water reserves essential for growing crops such as wheat, maize, sugar beet and animal fodder. However, decades of intensive irrigation have placed enormous pressure on groundwater resources.
Farmers increasingly depend on underground water to maintain agricultural production, particularly during dry periods. As groundwater is extracted faster than natural processes can replenish it, underground water levels continue to decline.
Turkey experienced one of its most severe droughts in decades in 2025, further intensifying pressure on farmers and already depleted water reserves.
Scientists explain that falling groundwater levels can weaken underground geological structures by reducing the natural water pressure supporting cavities and fractures beneath the surface. This can cause unstable underground spaces to collapse, creating large sinkholes.
Sinkholes and Land Subsidence Threaten Agricultural Regions
The Konya basin contains extensive limestone and other carbonate rocks. Over thousands of years, groundwater gradually dissolves minerals in these rocks, creating underground channels, caves and cavities. This natural process known as karstification, contributes to sinkhole formation.
A study examining sinkhole development between 2000 and 2024 identified significant changes in the rate of ground collapses. The annual number increased from approximately three during 2000–2010 to around 32 between 2016 and 2019. After 2020, the rate declined to approximately 22 annually, despite continued groundwater depletion.
Researchers suggest that some of the most vulnerable underground cavities may have already collapsed, explaining why sinkhole numbers do not necessarily increase every year as groundwater levels fall.
The region is also experiencing land subsidence a process in which the ground gradually sinks as underground sediments become compacted due to groundwater withdrawal. Satellite radar observations have recorded land subsidence of up to 90 millimetres annually in parts of the region.
Unlike sudden sinkhole collapses, land subsidence develops gradually but can cause serious damage to roads, buildings and agricultural infrastructure.
Agricultural Demand Puts Additional Pressure on Water Resources
Agriculture remains central to the region’s economy, but the growing demand for irrigation is creating a difficult challenge for water management.
Farmers rely heavily on groundwater to protect crop yields during dry seasons. However, continued extraction is putting the long term sustainability of agricultural production at risk.
Experts warn that simply introducing more efficient irrigation systems may not solve the problem. If farmers use the water saved through improved technology to expand irrigated farmland, overall groundwater consumption could remain unchanged or even increase.
Restricting groundwater extraction without providing financial and agricultural support could also create difficulties for farmers and threaten food production.
Experts Call for Urgent Water Management Measures
Researchers say Turkey needs a comprehensive strategy to prevent further groundwater depletion and reduce the risk of sinkhole formation.
Key measures include monitoring groundwater levels and extraction, introducing enforceable limits on water use, promoting crops suited to local water availability and using satellite technology to identify areas at risk.
Detailed geological mapping and improved disaster monitoring could also help authorities identify vulnerable locations before major ground collapses occur.
The growing sinkhole crisis in central Turkey highlights the serious consequences of unsustainable groundwater use combined with prolonged drought and climate change.
Experts warn that unless groundwater is treated as a limited natural resource rather than an unlimited source of irrigation, the country’s agricultural heartland could face increasingly severe environmental and economic challenges.