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SÜLEYMAN ÇETİN
MERSİN (DİHA) -Nearly 10 thousand farmers cultivating wheat, corn, cotton in Amik Plain in southern province Hatay, are miserable because of the drought which occurred after the authorities transferred water from Amik Lake to Asi River to stretch the plain. The chairman of Hatay Chamber of Agriculture Celal Civelek, warned that if the necessary precautions were not taken the economy of the region would get affected seriously.
The farmers said they were reaching to water 20 meters under the soil before, but now they could not even from 500 meters and if this situations continues the field which is the most fertile area of the Mediterranean region will totally dry if the problem can not be solved.
Immigration risk
The farmers are anxious about the situation and think that most of the people will immigrate if they can not earn their living there any more.
The authorities warn as well
The chairman of Hatay Chamber of Agriculture Celal Civelek said: "Amik Plain is the backbone of the economy of Hatay. If 10 thousand farmers can not crop, what will happen? So many people will be jobless and they will be in conflict with each other. Robbery and discomfort will increase. The unemployment will affect the economy of the city which will face with a big chaos. If Hatay experiences a probable severe drought, the dimension of the loss will destroy the region."
(gm/ma/sy)