Standardised Water Accounting in Türkiye River Basins: A Case Study of Konya Closed Basin

Abstract

This paper assesses the feasibility of implementing the "General Purpose Water Accounting System," a water management accountability tool in Konya Closed Basin, one of the Türkiye River basins. This system draws inspiration from financial accounting and is designed to generate standardized and comprehensive water accounting reports using established financial accounting techniques. The paper argues that standardized water accounting represents a suitable approach for enhancing accountability and transparency among water managers. In this context, the authors prepared the "The Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities" one of the system's outputs, for the 2017-2018 hydrological year of the Basin and evaluated the system's applicability to other river basins in Türkiye. Consequently, there is a pressing need to establish a robust national water information system in Türkiye that can effectively furnish water-related data on a basin basis. Such an information system is imperative for successfully integrating water accounting practices within the country's water resources management framework.