"The drought situation is getting worse," said farmer Tahsin Gundogdu, whose harvest includes potatoes he sells to the US food giant PepsiCo.

Dizzyingly deep, they appear when underground caverns created by drought can no longer contain the weight of the layer of soil above.

Attempts to get water by other means are more expensive, cutting farmers` incomes. But continued reliance on groundwater will likely make the problem only worse.

- `Worse than Covid` -

Trying to cut groundwater use, farmers have been forced to water their fields more, leading to higher electricity bills.

But Gundogdu said some farmers still turn to illegally using groundwater for their crops.

"Until last year, we had never seen drought like this," farmer Kamil Isikli agreed, adding he was more optimistic for 2021 after rain fell earlier this year.

Sezer urged the government to create underground systems that redirect water to the plains that would otherwise end up in the seas.

This drop "will lead to real irrigation issues for the plain," Akbulut said.

- Hope for spring rain -

The first is meteorological, due to dry weather, and the second is hydrological, which means water levels are low in streams, reservoirs and groundwater levels.

Suicmez said a lot depended on the weather in April and May, because "if there isn`t enough rain in those months, in nearly all areas where there is dry farming, the risk of agricultural drought will continue".

This winter also saw fears over low water levels in dams, although Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli insisted last month the problem had been solved by rainfall.

But Suicmez said while this was true, it was "not right" to blame everything on global events.

- Turkey`s `Maldives` at risk -

Experts warn Salda Lake, which NASA believes could provide clues to a crater on Mars it has just started exploring with the Perseverence rover, is also suffering.

"We don`t have a single lake that we can say is in a good state in terms of water in Burdur province. They`re either at risk or in a really bad state," Cevni said.

"Wasting water is as serious an issue as killing someone. The punishments should be just as serious," he said.

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