13,996 TONS OF WATER SAVED WITH DRY LANDSCAPING

Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality continues to implement dry landscaping in median strips and intersections against water scarcity due to global warming and climate change. The dry landscaping that Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce wants to be widespread and prioritize saving measures give the city an aesthetic appearance. A total of 13,996 tons of water was saved with the 8,316 square meters of dry landscaping work we have done since 2023.

The Metropolitan Municipality Parks and Gardens Department, which has decorated every corner of the city with colorful flowers, have recently been implementing dry landscaping that adopts a sustainable urban design approach and ensures efficient water use in the central median strips on the streets and boulevards in their area of ​​responsibility, as well as other open green areas.

Stating that they continue their efforts to use water resources efficiently throughout the city, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce emphasized that Türkiye and Eskişehir are not rich in water.

Due to limited water resources and global climate change, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, which further beautifies the city with decorative materials such as colored stones and slag and thus saves money, contributes to urban resilience by using water resources consciously and efficiently, thus both protecting nature and contributing to the country's economy.

Dry landscaping has aesthetic value, minimizes irrigation consumption and maintenance costs, and provides economic contribution. Dry landscaping uses decorative stones such as dolomite and completely natural materials such as slag and the works will continue.

Mayor Ayşe Ünlüce said, “One of the biggest problems in the world is the climate crisis. Our country is located in the Mediterranean climate zone where the effects of global climate change are intensely felt and is among the countries experiencing water stress. The increase in water scarcity increases the importance we give to dry landscaping practices. With these practices, we prioritize the effective use of natural resources; we protect aesthetic values, reduce maintenance costs, and reduce our environmental footprint against climate change and water scarcity. Global warming and climate change cause the rapid decrease in clean water resources, and create great difficulties in meeting vital needs, especially agriculture and drinking water. However, we need to produce solutions together to cope with these problems. In this context, dry landscaping works that we apply especially in open green areas such as median strips, intersections, etc. located in the heart of cities are a very important step in terms of saving water. The main purpose of dry landscaping is to combine both aesthetics and environmental sustainability. By using elements such as natural stones, water-saving plants, and decorative materials, we both use water efficiently and beautify our environment. “These applications have the potential to be a significant step in ensuring future generations has access to water resources. Working together, we can build a greener, more efficient and water-saving future for sustainable and livable cities.”

Within the scope of the National Water Efficiency Mobilization launched in January 2023 in Türkiye; with the “Water Efficiency Strategy Document and Action Plan within the Framework of Adaptation to the Changing Climate (2023-2033)”; in line with the “Arid Landscape Applications Guide” regarding arid landscape applications among urban water efficiency actions, 87 types of plants included in the guide are grown in nursery areas and used in green areas as Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality.