Story By: Lee Bullen,Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News

A spectacular Turkish lake in a volcano’s crater that formed around five million years ago has dried up due to years of low rainfall and water misuse.

Lake Meke is a volcanic crater lake composed of two nested lakes in the district of Karapinar located in the south-western Turkish province of Konya.

According to local media, the lake has dried up due to low rainfall and water misuse for agricultural purposes and the remaining puddles have turned red due to the presence of microorganisms.

Lake Meke, which was declared a first-grade protected area in 1989 and registered as a natural monument in 1998, formed when a volcanic crater filled with groundwater following an eruption around five million years ago.

The volcano erupted a second time about 9,000 years ago forming a 50-metre (164-foot) high volcanic cone inside the middle of the lake.

Lake Meke used to have a depth of 12 metres (39 feet), but since then has gradually dried out due to drought and only a few small pool of reddish-brown water remain.

Local media said that unregulated use of the underground waters that supply the lake also contributed to its current state.

Karapinar District mayor Mehmet Yaka said the lake will return to its former beauty and promised to find a solution for the region’s water shortages.

The mayor also believes that the lake could contribute to the region’s tourism industry with the right planning by the country’s Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning.

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