The problem has become so severe that officials are urging local farmers not to grow crops that require a lot of water.
This means that farmer Kanyas Gejer is no longer able to grow sugar beet, a particularly thirsty vegetable.
“All my hard work went to waste,” lamented the 56-year-old, pointing to his withered apricots.
“If this continues like this, we will give up farming. The business is dying.”
According to Professor Orhan Deniz of Yuzunkü Yil University, whose campus is located on the shore of the lake, the lack of water also exposes it to pollution.
“Large chunks of mud mixed with mud emit foul smell and make human pollution more obvious,” he said.
“In the 1990s, we used to swim during lunch break and then go back to university,” he said, overlooking the lake from his office.
He said, “Now it is not possible to even swim, leave alone getting into the water.”
