Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 28 / Trend , J.Babayeva/
Some leading countries do not care about the ecological state of the Caspian Sea, said the Azerbaijani Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
"Some leading countries use the Caspian Sea for political purposes, and do not care about its ecological stare," the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Husein Bagirov, told the ruling New Azerbaijan Party's official website.
The Caspian Sea is approximately 380,000 square kilometers. The coastline of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan is 955.08 km, Russia's coastline is 695 km, Kazakhstan's is 2,320 km, Turkmenistan's is 1,200 km and Iran's is 900 km. The Caspian's oil and gas fields are an object of interest for many world companies.
Bagirov said that the pollution of the Caspian Sea at the where it meets the Volga River is 80 percent, and by the the Urals River it is 7-8 percent. "Non-recycled waste flows into the sea from wells in some Kazakh oil fields. In Iran, about 14 million people live on the coast and so many people do not live on the coast of any country," said the minister.
The Kur and Araz Rivers in the territories of Georgia and Armenia are polluted, he said. "The rivers are purified in different regions of the country to prevent the pollution of the sea," said Bagirov.
The minister said that out of the coastline countries, Azerbaijan is the only nation initiating projects to maintain the ecological balance of the Caspian Sea. "In order to address the issues, by decrees from the President water-purifying units with a capacity of 6,140 cubic meters of water per day have been installed and these units meet international standards. As a result, 17 stations have been put into operation in coastal areas of the Absheron peninsula - in the towns of Bilgah, Buzovna, Mardakan Pirshagi, Nardaran. Furtherore, the "Protection System of the Ecological Environment of the Caspian Sea" has been formed in the Novkhany-Sumgait territory," said Bagirov.
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