Hundreds of sinkholes have emerged in Turkey's central agricultural region due to dwindling rainfall and receding groundwaters, causing concern among farmers and environmental experts who see it as a worrying sign of climate change.

Gaping sinkholes pockmark farmland producing maize, wheat and sugar beet in Karapinar in Konya province, with more than 10 packed into a field in places. In mountainous areas, vast, ancient sinkholes previously filled with water have now mostly dried up.

The pace at which sinkholes are forming in the Konya basin has accelerated in recent years, with the total now nearing 700, according to Fetullah Arik, a geology professor studying sinkholes at Konya Technical University.

"The main reason for the increase in numbers is climate change and drought, which have affected the whole world since the 2000s," Arik said. "As a result of this drought, the groundwater level is dropping slightly every year."

He said the pace of receding groundwater levels has reached 4 to 5 metres per year, compared to half a metre per year in the 2000s, adding to concerns in Turkey's major agricultural sector.

Drought and receding groundwater lead local farmers to dig more wells, many unlicensed, further depleting the groundwater and exacerbating the problem.

"There is also an extremely high demand for water in this (Konya) basin," Arik said, adding that there are around 120,000 unlicensed wells, compared to some 40,000 licensed ones.

While the new sinkholes have not caused any casualties so far, their unpredictable nature risks the lives and belongings of locals, he said.

Two sinkholes opened up in the farmland belonging to Mustafa Sik, a farmer in Karapinar, in the past two years. His brother was only a short distance away, working on the farm in August 2024 when the second sinkhole formed with an "extremely loud, terrifying rumbling sound," Sik said.

A survey by geologists in Sik's land found two more areas where sinkholes could form – although it is not possible to predict when it will happen.

"Are we worried? Of course, we are very worried," he said.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

KONYA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 19, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All) (MUTE)

1. VARIOUS DRONE VIDEO OF AGRICULTURAL LAND WITH MORE THAN TEN SINKHOLES THAT FORMED IN RECENT YEARS

KONYA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All)

2. VARIOUS DRONE VIDEO OF SINKHOLE NEAR ROAD (MUTE)

3. VARIOUS DRONE VIDEO OF TWO SINKHOLES THAT FORMED NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER ON AGRICULTURAL LAND THAT BELONGS TO FARMER MUSTAFA SIK (MUTE)

4. VARIOUS OF ONE OF TWO SINKHOLES THAT FORMED ON SIK'S LAND

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) FARMER WITH SINKHOLE IN HIS AGRICULTURAL LAND, MUSTAFA SIK, 50, SAYING:

"One of the sinkholes appeared in 2023. That sinkhole, which formed in 2023, had already developed a depression in the middle a few years prior. After it became depressed, we stopped cultivating it. We left the land there. We really don't plough it. We leave it, we don't plant there anymore. Then, over two years, the edges cracked. It spread out like this. Then it went on for a few years. A few years later, when I wasn't around, Abdullah, one of our guys, saw it. Or rather, he saw it. He called us. He said, 'Brother, the part that broke off is gone.' He told us that it went down with a loud bang."

6. DRONE VIDEO OF TRASH ON BOTTOM OF SINKHOLE / RESIDENTIAL AREA NEARBY (MUTE)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) FARMER WITH SINKHOLE IN HIS AGRICULTURAL LAND, MUSTAFA SIK, 50, SAYING:

"There were beets planted there. Suddenly, he (Mustafa's brother) and his friends were there, about 100 meters away. They heard an extremely loud, terrifying rumbling sound and saw the water rising splashing upwards. Of course, after that, there was anxiety for many years."

8. FENCE SURROUNDING SINKHOLE / SIGN READING IN TURKISH, "Dangerous zone. No entry."

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) FARMER WITH SINKHOLE IN HIS AGRICULTURAL LAND, MUSTAFA SIK, 50, SAYING:

"Several investigations were conducted in different locations (by geologists to assess where new sinkholes could form). They said it could happen on the other side where the cattle are. They said it could happen there as well. But the time wasn't specified. Whether it's the next day or 20-30 years from now, the exact time is uncertain. Are we worried? Of course, we are very worried."

10. VARIOUS SPRINKLERS WATERING FIELD

11. WATER PUMP

KONYA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 19, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All) (MUTE)

12. VARIOUS DRONE VIDEO OF SINKHOLES AROUND KARAPINAR AREA OF KONYA

KONYA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All) (MUTE)

13. VARIOUS DRONE VIDEO OF SINKHOLE NEAR RESIDENTIAL AREA (MUTE)

KONYA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 19, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All)

14. VARIOUS OF CRACK THAT FORMED AFTER PART OF SOIL COLLAPSED, DAMAGING A WALL AND A MOSQUE THAT WAS LATER DEMOLISHED

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) LOCAL RESIDENT, IBRAHIM YETISIR, 23, SAYING:

"When we came here 5 years ago, the two land levels were almost equal. There used to be an old mosque here. The old mosque has been demolished because it (the crack due to collapsing soil) divided the mosque in two. That one wasn't active. They built a new mosque here. But it wasn't like this before. I don't know exactly if it's due to the receding groundwater or the effects of earthquakes but this area is sinking more and more."

KONYA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 18, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All)

16. DRONE VIDEO OF MEYIL SINKHOLE, WHICH FORMED HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO AND USED TO BE FILLED WITH WATER (MUTE)

17. VARIOUS OF CIRALI SINKHOLE, WHICH FORMED HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO AND USED TO BE FILLED WITH WATER

KONYA, TURKEY (DECEMBER 19, 2025) (REUTERS - Access All)

18. VARIOUS OF FETULLAH ARIK, GEOLOGY PROFESSOR AT KONYA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY RESEARCHING SINKHOLES, LOOKING AT ROCKS IN HIS OFFICE

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ACADEMIC WORKING ON SINKHOLES, FETULLAH ARIK, SAYING:

"There are currently around 660-670 sinkholes. These are the sinkholes that have collapsed in a well-like shape, as we are used to seeing in the (Konya) basin. Apart from that, there are also displacements, collapses of up to one meter, which are not considered sinkholes by AFAD (disaster management authority). So I am talking about the number of sinkholes currently registered in the disaster risk reduction system. What difference does it make if the exact number is 650 or 700? What needs to be emphasized is the dramatic increase after the 2000s."

20. VARIOUS OF ARIK SHOWING LOCATIONS OF SINKHOLES ON COMPUTER

21. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ACADEMIC WORKING ON SINKHOLES, FETULLAH ARIK, SAYING:

"The main reason for the increase in numbers is climate change and drought, which have affected the whole world since the 2000s. As a result of this drought, the groundwater level is dropping slightly every year and continues to do so. There is also an extremely high demand for water in this (Konya) basin. The water drawn from both documented and undocumented wells within the basin significantly affects the drop in the groundwater level. The groundwater level is dropping every year. While the groundwater level drops, around half a meter (per year) until the 2000s, they have rapidly increased since then, dropping by several meters per year, and even by 4-5 meters per year since 2020."

22. VARIOUS OF ARIK LOOKING AT ROCKS

23. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) ACADEMIC WORKING ON SINKHOLES, FETULLAH ARIK, SAYING:

"Although construction machinery has occasionally fallen or their wheel has slipped into these sinkholes, thankfully no fatal accidents have occurred so far. However, in addition to land loss, some sinkholes very close to settlements have damaged houses, barns, and structures in some places."

24. VARIOUS OF SIGN ON FENCE AROUND SINKHOLE, READING IN TURKISH, "Attention! Do not approach the sinkholes. It is dangerous for the safety of your life"