Azerbaijan has a unique nature environment, vast natural resources and is a country with developed branches of industry. Unfortunately, unresolved environment problems which has built up for many years has aggravated the environment of the Republic. At present the Republic is facing a number of challenges which need to be urgently addressed: a shortage of drinking water in Baku, pollution of water basins as well as the Caspian Sea by discharges from sewer pipes and factory drains, damages caused by the rise in sea level, air pollution by toxic gas-wastes which are released into the atmosphere exceeding the normal parameters, illegal forest cutting, erosion and salinity of agricultural lands, irregular cleansing of waste discharges both from industrial sources and municipal sewage, its inappropriate management, storage and disposal, and so on.
It is obvious that, potentially, there is no sufficient reserve of water supply in order to meet the needs of agricultural industry and demand of population for drinking water in Azerbaijan. In a number of regions, especially in Absheron a shortage of water is explained by undeveloped sources of water reserve. In addition, corrosion of pipes in water supply network and failure to meet existing technical requirements result in the loss of great amount of drinking water.
The largest rivers of Azerbaijan Kura and Araz have been subjected to severe pollution as a result of untreated industrial wastewater and municipal sewage released by Georgian and Armenian as well as our own industrial sources and human settlements. In respect of quality, Kura waters in the place of draining into the Caspian Sea can be used only in industry.
Recently, sources of groundwater were discovered in the Samur-Velvelichay and Ganikh-Ayrichay lowlands in order to meet the demand of population of Absheron peninsula for drinking water, namely in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and Sumgayit, one of the biggest industrial city. A perspective exploration of groundwater sources should be carried out along with the prevention of construction of underground and surface structures which have harmful potential for the environment and land in the areas of groundwater location as well as precaution of the setting-up of agricultural and industrial sectors on these lands which is accompanied by the application of polluting substances.
The condition of wastewater treatment facilities is not good as well. Of the 75 towns of Azerbaijan only 35 have wastewater treatment facilities. Those facilities are equipped only with mechanical treatment means. In Baku, only up to 50% of industrial wastewater discharge undergo treatment.
A discharge of incompletely treated industrial and municipal wastewater in water bodies including the Caspian Sea creates in its turn other environmental problems. Bio-resources of the Caspian Sea are endangered by a negative impact of an increasing anthropogenic factors.
Water level fluctuations of the Caspian Sea which has historically been taking place for centuries have caused a range of social-economic and environmental problems to all the riparian states. Thus, the rise of the sea level affects a 825-kilometers coastline area of Azerbaijan.
After Azerbaijan achieved political independence followed by the breakup of existing economic links due to transition period, a number of industries stopped their operation with few continuing to operate at10-20 percent level of the production capacity. Consequently, the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere by stationary sources has greatly declined in comparison with 1990. For example, in 1990 the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere accounted for 2,1 million tons, whereas in 1999 this indicator made 352 thousand tons.
It should be pointed out that most of the gas-dust captor facilities available at industrial enterprises are out of order. If, in the near future, these enterprises completely restore their operation, the atmosphere of the large industrial cities will be brought to the level of another ecological catastrophe.
As a consequence of the rapid growth of Baku human settlements have become closely encompassed by some industrial enterprises which is inadmissible from the viewpoint of human health protection.
Another concern is connected with an increasing release of toxic gases by vehicles. As a result of exploitation of imported old, outdated, cheap vehicles a great amount of toxic gasses exceeding the normal parameters is released in the atmosphere.
The repair or replacement of gas-dust captor facilities at industrial enterprises; the relocation of industries out of the city and away from dense human settlements or the substitution of their production specialization by ecologically-friendly appropriate production categories; a complete switch to lead-free (de-ethylated) fuel by vehicles; the prohibition of exploitation of outdated vehicles can partly help resolve the existing problems in this field.
There is a great concern in connection with the illegal intensive cutting of forests for the past 10-12 years. 450 species of tree and bush plants can be met in the territory of Republic with most of them being rare or endemic. There is no need to mention the significant role of forests for climate, air cleaning, the natural regulation of water balance, protection of fields from dry winds, and concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere.
According to the official statistics, forests make up 11 percent of Azerbaijan's territory which is twice less from accepted international standards.
An increasing depletion of forest areas, deterioration of their reproductive capacity, and further tendency to deforestation continue to take place nowadays. If no precaution actions are taken to stop these processes the Republic will face a heavy ecological catastrophe expressed in extensive soil erosion, desertification, landslips, flood, and avalanches in mountainous areas, and the desiccation of springs and rivers. Consequently, attention should be given to the following main directions in resolving the problems of forestry.
It is necessary to significantly expand forestry activities all over the territory of the Republic, particularly in the lowlands where vegetation is sparse. In this context, large-scale work should be carried out for the rejuvenation of Tugay forests located in the valleys of major water arteries of Azerbaijan, Kura and Araz rivers.
Protective forests should be planted in the extensive areas in order to prevent mountain slopes from erosion by water.
Actions Plan on forestation activities in ravine areas and Caspian sea coastline sands should be prepared and carried out under special projects.
The difficulties having occurred in the Republic for the past years with the supply of gas and other types of fuel to remote villages and regions led to the usage of wood as a combustible. It worth mentioning that the delivery of 200-250 thousand tons of coal and 1,2-1,5 million cubic meters of timber from Russia has been suspended. This has seriousely affected forests in Azerbaijan. It should be noted that, no large-scale logging can be carried out in lowland forests because of their being too sparse and small in size. As to highland forests, it should be pointed out that most of them are located on high-level mountain slopes and logging in these areas may result in soil erosion.
In order to avoid a shortage of energy supply the development and promotion of appropriate government programs will prevent the usage of wood as combustible and provide for a conservation of microclimate and mitigation of desertification.
The irrigation of saline lands along with areas subjected to recurrent salinity and planting forests composed of tree species corresponding to the climate of these territories will restore the vast area of unfit land.
Efforts should also be made in the direction of rejuvenation of machine and tractor pool of forestry industries in Azerbaijan. It is important to procure new machines and mechanical equipment for forestry and timber production.
Another important direction is planting vegetation, in addition to state owned forestlands, in large areas around big industrial cities.
It should be pointed out that all activities in forest industry should be carried out based on projects developed as a result of forest planning. Unfortunately, no work has been done in this direction for the past years and almost all branches of our forest industry had to operate according to outdated planning projects. This area needs to be well-financed in order to carry out works meeting contemporary requirements in compliance with international standards.
It is also important to develop timber and furniture production factories for more economic use of wood. To this end it is necessary to increase the amount of plantations of fast-growing species of tree in Azerbaijan.
Our forest industry has faced another difficult problem. As a result of attack of Armenia on Azerbaijan a large area of the territory has been under occupation. Forests in this area, especially highland forests have seriously suffered. As a result of Armenian invasion 250928 ha of forests, i.e. 25 percent of forests in Azerbaijan, were occupied, and 10233 ha of forests have become out of industrial circulation. The occupied forests are brutally being destroyed. The logging of rare tree species in this territory has achieved a critical point in respect of biodiversity conservation. Intensive logging of trees in the occupied territories is directly associated with the observed growth of timber production industry in Armenia. For example, in 1989 the volume of logged timber accounted for 58 thousand cubic meters, whereas in 1993 it become 206,6 thousand cubic meters which is three times more than it was. As to timber produced, its volume was 7,2 thousand cubic meters in 1988 and increasing by 1,97 times made 14,2 thousand cubic meters in 1993. it is worth mentioning again that this has been achieved due to brutal cutting of Azerbaijan's forests. It should be noted that the area of forests in Armenia is three times less than that of Azrbaijan.
107 ha of rare tree species of eastern poplar in the Beshitchay national reserve located in the occupied territory of Zengilan region are being eradicated. The damage caused by this action can be only calculated with the assistance of international agencies.
One the most serious ecological problems is worthlessness of 4,1 million hectares of agricultural lands which makes 47,7 percent of the territory. 3,6 million hectares of these has been subjected to soil erosion. Of them 1,3 million hectares were poorly, 1,15 million hectares moderately and 1,14 million hectares severely eroded.
A failure to meet agro-technical requirements, an unsystematic logging of forests, inappropriate plowing, unsystematic and inappropriate irrigation, inappropriate structuring of drainage and irrigation networks as well as the erection of water towers in high relief areas are all the factors which speed up the process of salinity and erosion.
Another problem associated with the vulnerability of arable land in Azerbaijan is the subjection to exogenic geological processes in different parts of the territory. For example, 1300 square km of the Azerbaijan territory are subjected to intensive water torrents, 800 square km to landslides, 400 sq. km to snow avalanches, 700 sq. km to floods, 150 sq.km to abrasion. In addition, 7,5 percent of the territory refers to likely seismic zones. In order to prevent likely natural accidents, to mitigate likely human victims and probable damage to industrial and agricultural sector it is necessary to elaborate operative action plans implemented jointly with international organizations.
It is time for us to join international cooperative surveillance system in order to detect by means of satellite plantations of drugs, places of radioactive and toxic wastes storage, illegal mining and industry operations, locations of exogenic processes, occurrence of forest fires, natural cataclysms and mass destructions as a result of techno-genesis in impassible and occupied territories.
To eliminate the mentioned negative factors a support of the government is vital. To this end a special conception must be prepared and applied into practice. Otherwise, the environmental salutation will get much worse because of the worthlessness of large areas of lands for arable farming and decline in agricultural output.
The matter of storage and disposal of municipal wastes in big human settlements, particularly in industrial centers is also of great concern. The abundance of wastes storage yards in the vicinity of such cities as Baku, Sumgayit and Gandja are not only the sources of environmental pollution but has also become a real threat to the health of people.
In many countries the ways of resolution of these problems has been already found. For example, in the areas of dense human settlements waste recycling plants are erected where municipal discharges are burnt. The energy which is received form burning the wastes is used for generating electric power supplied to the settlements. It is obvious that the construction of such plants in Azerbaijan is very important from both sides.
In the territory of Azerbaijan there are vast sores of minerals and raw materials which are appropriately registered as follows: under No.18 - metals (iron, alunite, lead, zinc, cobalt, mercury, molybdenum, gold), No.29 non-metals (sulphur, gypsum, bentonit, stone, salt, dolomite, quartz, quartz sands, mineral colors, raw ceramics, limestone for flux and soda), under No.297 - construction materials (raw cement, construction stones, mixture of sands and shingles, sand, perlit), No.97 - ground waters (iodine-bromide, plain, mineral). In addition there are also new discoveries of stores of manganese, chromites, barite, titan, platinum group of metals.
The minerals and raw materials stores of Azerbaijan creates a promising perspectives for foreign and national investments for exploration of mining potential and geological structure of earth ground as well as integration to the world market through export of mining industry products and raw materials. Currently, the reconstruction of a Mining Industry Complex based on vast resources of iron and alunite metals, the exploration of raw construction materials stores in connection with the restoration of the Silk Road serving as a bridge between Europe and Asia witnesses to the rise of mining industry in Azerbaijan.
Regretfully, deposits of different minerals under No.155 including gold, mercury, copper, lead-zinc, etc., were abandoned in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. According to some sources of information these deposits are unsustainably exploited. The bitterest fact is that foreign companies have started the exploration and mining of the deposits in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The Government of Azerbaijan has to turn to European Union States in order to prevent the exploration and mining of mineral resources deposits by foreign companies as well as by the invaders in the occupied territory.
Priority directions included in National Action Plan
The Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan gives particular attention to the solution of environmental problems and in connection with this priority directions have been identified. The first and foremost of the priority environmental actions included in the National Environment Action Plan of the Republic are the following:
1. Supply of sources of energy to the community with a view to preventing forest logging (Installation of pilot facilities for the production of fuel bricks made of wastes from forestry and agriculture);
2. Protection of settlements and industrial facilities from water torrent and erosion (Installation of modern engineering facilities to prevent landslides, erosion and water torrent);
3. Enhancing the Protection of Biodiversity (Preparation of a National Strategy);
4. Development of Hydro energy industry:
5. Preventing the release of wastewater into water reservoirs:
6. Preventing the discharge of oil products into the sea from sites contaminated by fuel oil;
7. Enhancing the system of control in zones damaged as a result of Caspian sea level fluctuations;
8. Rehabilitation of inundated areas;
9. Extension of forest areas and prevention of erosion (Planting Tugay forests along the Kura river banks);
10. Capacity building at local units to enhance environmental analysis (laboratory service);
11. Preparation of a Programme on environmental education;
12. Signing and Ratification of International Conventions that are of priority for Azerbaijan.
There are a number of problems also in the field of hydrometeorology. The pool of observational devices and equipment used in Hydrometeorology Service of Azerbaijan is out-of-date and need to be replaced with new ones. Aerial observations (a survey of atmosphere) that are necessary for ensuring a meteorological safety of international aviation cannot not be undertaken because of financial and technical difficulties problems. There is also a great need for modern computer technologies that are used in automated information analysis and exchange enhancing the quality of delivery of hydrometeorology service to public and other different areas. Bearing in mind that enormous amount of financial resources are required for the solution of current environmental issues and taking into consideration the limited financial capability associated with the country's going through the economic transition period it is important to broaden joint cooperation with international financial and environmental agencies. In addition the country's joining prioritized International Conventions could help in overcoming a number of environmental problems.