Strengthening Community Water Access

We have a responsibility to ensure that we manage shared water sources with local communities of interest, especially in areas with high or extremely high baseline water stress. We work to improve access to water for the communities in which we operate. These efforts are led by our site sustainability and environmental teams, in collaboration with regional committees, and are often part of our strategic community investment initiatives.

Throughout 2020 at our Öksüt operation, as part of our strategic community investment and focus on regional livelihood support in the Develi District, we completed a potable water project for residents in the Gümüşören Quarter. Öksüt’s investment was allocated to building a new 200-metre drinking well and connecting it to the existing water line, benefiting 625 community residents over the next 20 years of the well’s life. A drinking water analysis was completed by local authorities which determined that the water quality was suitable for potable use.

In addition, in 2020, we collaborated with the local department of agricultural services and a local agricultural irrigation cooperative to repair and upgrade irrigation wells in the Epçe Quarter that would more than double the local irrigated area from 125 hectares to 300 hectares, directly benefiting 150 farms. The project upgraded the open channel system and replaced it with a closed irrigation system that includes sprinkler and drip systems. The new system has the capacity to provide 120 litres of water per second, helping to eliminate 100% of water loss and decrease energy costs by reducing electricity requirements.