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STORY: This is Terkos Dam, just outside Istanbul.

Despite the dried up lakebed and grazing cattle, it’s among the fullest of Istanbul's 10 reservoirs.

It’s meant to provide Turkey’s biggest city and its surrounding villages with critical water supplies.

But a drought has caused water levels to decrease to their lowest in nearly a decade, as this shepherd recounts:

"I came here three months ago and it was filled with water here. The water went and went and went and there is none left. It went all the way down there. It was also filled here. The boats would come and go up there but none of them go now."

According to Turkish State Meteorological Service, in the 11 months leading up to September, Turkey's northwest received 23% less precipitation than average.

In August alone, it was 74% lower than average and down 90% from last year.

Water levels at Terkos Dam are now around 9%. And the city’s overall levels are less than 25% - the lowest since 2014.

Istanbul, home to between 16 and 20 million people, is now at risk of water rationing.

And a way of life is under threat in nearby the villages, who heavily depend on the Terkos Dam.

In Ormanli, the drought has meant rice fields were not sown and pessimistic locals say the subpar yields this year have slashed their incomes.

This farmer says the area he’s standing in used to be flooded yearly.

"If you could see the field, it is cracked so wide your foot could go into it right now. It hasn't rained for a year. There has not been drenching rain for a year. If there had been a drenching rain, the rivers would have been filled too."

Despite local concerns, officials say there is no need to be alarmed about a water shortage, saying there are sources outside the city that could be used.

The head of Strategy Development Department at Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration says that while climate change is to blame, increased consumption is also playing a part.

"Even though Istanbul's population seems as 16 million officially, we have a population of around approximately 19-20 million. This population, we have our migrants, our increasing population, new areas being zoned for construction. Therefore, water consumption will rise together with the increasing population. We cannot see the water consumption here that we did here 10 years ago. But together with this, we can also see certain increasing trends in water consumption that come with extreme heat. These are the biggest factors."

Officials expect increased rainfall from October onwards, but only time will tell if it's enough for the land's farmers.