Istanbul has launched a water- saving campaign as water levels of dams have hit a record low, Istanbul Water and Canalization Management (ISKI) announced on Wednesday. With merely 16.31 percent of its water reserve left, according to ISKI, the 14 million people in Turkey's largest city have been warned not to wash their cars, balconies or carpets with pipes that enables water to flow continuously. The authorities have even asked people to close the water tap as they wash face or brush teeth, and take their shower short. Periodic water cut in Istanbul began in June, and is expected to be more frequent as the water level keeps falling each day. ISKI statistics show that the latest rain falls were far from filling the empty dams, leaving the current water reserve at a historic low of 142 million cubic meters, way below the 525 million cubic meters last year and that between 2009 and 2011. Istanbul has been supplying its drinking water need from 10 different dams, of which Sazlikdere Dam, which is providing drinking water to the European side of Istanbul, has almost dried out with less than six percent of water reserve left. Although ISKI did not revealed how long Istanbul and its 14 million population can resist to the water shortage, experts said in early August that "Istanbul has almost 55 days of water reserves."