This article is for information. The source texts are in the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete); article numbers are taken from there.
Which areas does the decree cover?
The "Procedures and Principles for Xeriscape Practices" (Kurakçıl Peyzaj Uygulamalarına İlişkin Usul ve Esaslar) were approved by Presidential Decree No. 10502 and published in Official Gazette No. 33051 of 18 October 2025. They came into force on publication.
The scope is public and semi-private green space inside built-up areas (Article 1). The decree names two groups (Article 2):
- Public areas. City and neighbourhood parks, roads, boulevards and medians.
- Semi-private areas. University campuses, military areas, public institutions, airports, tourism facilities, golf, football and athletics fields, organised industrial zones.
The administration responsible for the area carries out the obligations. For parks, boulevards and medians that is, in practice, the municipality.
Three obligations for irrigation
The decree covers landscaping as a whole: plant selection, mulch, soil analysis, zoning. The articles that touch irrigation directly come down to three.
1. Less lawn
The share of lawn that needs intensive irrigation is reduced (Article 3-b). Sports fields where federations require turf are an exception. The remaining green area is still irrigated; the decree also says how that water is to be applied.
2. Pressurised, automated irrigation
Water-efficient pressurised irrigation methods are used (Article 3-g). In the irrigation planning article the wording is explicit: "pressurised irrigation methods and automated irrigation systems are used." These systems are checked and maintained at least once a year (Article 5/1-ç).
The irrigation schedule is prepared from soil analysis and the planting plan, and is applied "on the basis of weather conditions" (Article 5/1-b). Irrigation is done before dawn or right after sunset (Article 5/1-c).
3. Metering and records
Water use "is recorded through measurement and monitoring systems" (Article 3-h and Article 5/1-ç). This article ends the idea of an irrigation system without a meter and a log.
The record also has a destination. Each year, by the end of February, the responsible administration enters the previous year's irrigation and water-source data into the Landscape Monitoring System (Article 6). Until that system is live, the data goes to the Ministry on the Annex-1 Landscape Monitoring Form (Provisional Article 1).
What does the Landscape Monitoring Form ask?
The form is an annex of the decree. Its irrigation rows are these:
| Form row | Information required | In the ESTRON panel |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Annual water used in the landscape (m³/year) | Consumption report per line with a flow sensor, by date range |
| 5 | Water by source type (mains, well, treated wastewater, rainwater) | Per-line measurement; source noted in the line definition |
| 6 | Time of day irrigation is done (before sunrise / after sunset / midday) | Schedule time on record; every run logged with date and time |
| 7 | Area irrigated with pressurised systems (m²) | Area and line definitions |
| 8 | Is an automatic irrigation system used? | Yes; a controller fitted to the existing valve |
| 9 | Is water use recorded through measurement and monitoring? | Yes; Excel export |
The other rows concern plant species, mulch, zoning and cost items; those belong to the landscape project.
What does the Water Efficiency Regulation ask of municipalities?
Before the decree, the Water Efficiency Regulation was published in Official Gazette No. 32765 of 27 December 2024. It covers all urban, industrial and agricultural water; landscape irrigation is a small part of it. Two of its articles still affect park irrigation directly.
General principle. "Recording water use through measurement and monitoring systems" (Article 4/1-c). The metering article in the xeriscape decree is this principle applied to landscaping.
Water efficiency system. The institutions listed in Annex 1 set up a water efficiency system within the given period (Article 5). The periods count from the regulation's publication date:
| Institution | Period to set up the system |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan municipalities and their water and sewerage authorities | 18 months |
| Provincial municipalities outside metropolitan areas | 21 months |
| District municipalities in metropolitan areas with over 50,000 residents | 24 months |
| Public institutions, airports, large schools, hotels with 100+ rooms | 21 months |
| Organised industrial zones | 18 months |
An institution that sets up the system receives a blue certificate. Metropolitan and provincial municipalities, and district municipalities over 50,000, apply for the green certificate within at most three years (Article 7). A municipality's park irrigation is one of the items measured and reported inside this system.
Matching the specification headings
In 2022 the Smart Cities programme of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change published a draft technical specification for smart irrigation systems. Municipal tenders usually follow its heading order. Heading by heading, ESTRON answers it like this:
| Specification heading | What it asks for | ESTRON |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 Sensors | Soil moisture, pressure, flow and consumption, rain and frost | Inputs for rain, soil moisture, flow and pressure sensors; frost and wind limits in software |
| 3.2 Irrigation controller | LoRaWAN or similar wireless link, remote management, solenoid valve control, built-in memory and battery, low-battery alert | Battery controller fitted to the existing solenoid valve; LoRaWAN + Bluetooth; schedule held in the controller; low-battery alarm |
| 3.3 Software | Cloud based, multi-user with roles, SMS/e-mail alerts, daily-weekly-monthly-yearly water use from the flow sensor, export | Web panel and mobile app, role-based access, notifications, consumption report and Excel; on-premise server if required |
The technical summary for tenders is on the for municipalities page. The specification is a draft; each institution writes its own text.
Which article of the decree does ESTRON answer?
- Pressurised, automated irrigation (Article 5/1-ç). A battery-powered controller is fitted to the solenoid valve of the existing sprinkler or drip system. Pipes, sprinklers and valves stay. No cables are laid.
- Weather-based schedule (Article 5/1-b). The AI decides for every line every day: full duration, shorter, postpone or skip. The decision rests on the weather forecast, satellite data and the water-demand calculation.
- Time of irrigation (Article 5/1-c). The irrigation window is set per line; it can be set to before dawn. The decision is made in the morning; watering runs inside the window.
- Metering and records (Articles 3-h, 5/1-ç). On a line with a flow sensor, consumption is measured per line. Every run is logged with date, time, duration and reason. Reports come from the panel and export to Excel. See irrigation reporting.
- Yearly maintenance (Article 5/1-ç). Flow while the valve is closed raises a leak alarm. A fault does not wait for maintenance day. See catch water leaks without going to the field.
- Yearly report (Article 6). The annual water volume and time-of-day data asked for in February are ready in the panel.
With treated wastewater or rainwater the system works the same way. The controller controls the valve; it does not depend on the water source.
Why does irrigation still matter when lawn shrinks?
The Ministry's Xeriscape Guidance Document expects up to 80% water savings, depending on the region, when xeriscaping is applied as a whole. That figure is the sum of plant selection, mulch, zoning and irrigation. Lawn shrinks, but the remaining green area is still irrigated; metering it and watering by the weather is a separate article of the decree. ESTRON answers that article. How much less water is used compared with a fixed schedule is explained on the smart irrigation system page.
Frequently asked
Does the decree cover existing parks too?
The scope is defined by area type; a new-versus-existing distinction is made only for turf species on sports fields (Provisional Article 2, three years). The yearly data report applies to all responsible administrations. For a binding reading, consult the institution's legal unit.
A water meter or a flow sensor for metering?
The decree names no method; it says "measurement and monitoring system". In ESTRON a flow sensor measures per line; the record is kept in the panel.
Is there a penalty for municipalities under this decree?
The decree has no penalty article. The obligations are data reporting and the application principles. Other questions are on the FAQ page.