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'I live in constant fear': surge in giant sinkholes threatens Turkey's farmers
Falling groundwater, extreme heat and water-intensive farming are accelerating land collapse, forcing a rethink in agricultural practices
atih Sik was drinking tea with friends at home when he heard a rumbling sound outside that grew to a loud boom, like a volcano had erupted nearby. From the window, he saw water and mud shoot into the sky, as high as the tallest trees, less than 100 metres away.
The 47-year-old knew what it was, because it is common in Karapınar, Konya, a vast agricultural province known as Turkey’s breadbasket. A giant sinkhole had opened up on his land. Fifty metres wide and 40 metres deep, it had appeared almost a year to the day after a previous one had formed. It was August – the hottest month of the year.
Sik was born on the farm he now owns, which his father ran before him, yet he says scientists have told local people the area is no longer livable. One house nearby has collapsed into a sinkhole.
...
According to Fetullah Arik, a professor of geology at Konya Technical University who studies sinkholes, the problem stems from dwindling rainfall and reduced groundwater. Local farmers are digging more and deeper wells due to water scarcity, which further depletes groundwater reserves, exacerbating the problem.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/i-live-in-constant-fear-surge-in-giant-sinkholes-threatens-turkeys-farmers
atih Sik was drinking tea with friends at home when he heard a rumbling sound outside that grew to a loud boom, like a volcano had erupted nearby. From the window, he saw water and mud shoot into the sky, as high as the tallest trees, less than 100 metres away.
The 47-year-old knew what it was, because it is common in Karapınar, Konya, a vast agricultural province known as Turkey’s breadbasket. A giant sinkhole had opened up on his land. Fifty metres wide and 40 metres deep, it had appeared almost a year to the day after a previous one had formed. It was August – the hottest month of the year.
Sik was born on the farm he now owns, which his father ran before him, yet he says scientists have told local people the area is no longer livable. One house nearby has collapsed into a sinkhole.
...
According to Fetullah Arik, a professor of geology at Konya Technical University who studies sinkholes, the problem stems from dwindling rainfall and reduced groundwater. Local farmers are digging more and deeper wells due to water scarcity, which further depletes groundwater reserves, exacerbating the problem.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/i-live-in-constant-fear-surge-in-giant-sinkholes-threatens-turkeys-farmers
Pictures at the article. It looks like a World War One battlefield. "The number of sinkholes and related shallow collapse structures in Turkey’s Konya Plain is approaching 3,000"