Istanbul, Aug 17 (IANS): Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has urged residents of Turkey's largest city to save water amid the current drought and subsequent water shortage.

Warning that Istanbul's dam filling rate falls to merely 33.37 per cent and the decline is continuing, Imamoglu urged the city's nearly 16 million residents to save "every precious water drop flowing from the tap", reports Xinhua news agency.

The filling rate of 10 dams supplying water to Istanbul stood at 61.87 per cent in August last year, almost doubling the current rate, according to official data from the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI).

The ISKI has recommended a list of water-saving measures for residents, including repairing their dripping faucets and shortening their time spent in bathrooms by one minute, as each could save 6 tonnes and 16 tonnes of water, respectively, per year.

It also advises citizens to wash their cars using buckets and brushes instead of running water.