BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 11. The second day of the Baku Water Week International Exhibition and Conference on Water Management has come to an end in Baku, Trend reports.
The second day of the exhibition, organized with the support of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA), was also very eventful.
Thus, while the first day of the event featured presentations on “Comprehensive Solutions for Water Treatment” and “Achieving Guaranteed Results through Comprehensive Design of Water Supply and Wastewater Systems,” today's event included the 2nd International Conference on Water Management.
The conference featured 40 speakers from about 10 countries, a plenary session on “Leadership in Water Management: Regional and Global Aspects,” panel discussions on “Water Strategies: Infrastructure and Digitalization,” “Innovative Approaches to Managing Alternative Water Sources,” “Water Diplomacy: Transboundary Cooperation,” and “Water Resource Sustainability: The Role of Science and Innovation.”
In total, more than 60 companies and delegations representing Azerbaijan, Germany, the US, Austria, Belarus, the UK, the Czech Republic, Israel, Switzerland, India, Hungary, Türkiye, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore took part in the exhibition.
Addressing the opening of the 2nd day of the conference, Zaur Mikayilov, Chairman of the State Agency for Water Resources, stated that it would not be possible to prevent water shortages by constructing reservoirs, canals, and pipelines.
According to him, the amount of water that can be used for the benefit of the people is extremely small: "It is impossible to prevent water shortages by building reservoirs, canals, and pipelines.
In addition, the population has increased. The water demand has grown excessively. Factors such as industrialization and urbanization also lead to water shortages. This is because negative impacts on water also have negative consequences."
Then, Azerbaijan's Minister of Agriculture, Majnun Mammadov, took the floor and noted that the country has about 1.4 million hectares of irrigated land. He stated that by 2023, four percent of irrigated areas, and currently about 11 percent, will be provided with modern irrigation. The minister stressed that more than 70 percent of Azerbaijan's water resources are formed outside the country: "In a report prepared by the International Institute for Natural Resources, Azerbaijan ranks 18th on the list of 33 countries that will suffer from drought by 2040. We are trying to shape our policy in these conditions. At the same time, we are determining what changes we can make today so that we do not face a very serious water shortage in 5-10 years or more."
The minister underlined that over the past six years, more than 40,000 hectares of land in Azerbaijan have been equipped with modern irrigation systems: “In just six months of this year, the Agricultural Credit and Development Agency has financed the implementation of modern irrigation systems on more than 2,000 hectares of land.”
Mukhtar Babayev, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues and Chair of COP29, in his speech, noted that 16 bcm of water have been accumulated in Azerbaijan's reservoirs. He emphasized that Azerbaijan is a country located downstream of rivers: “Therefore, the water issue must always be on the agenda of our relations with our neighbors. Azerbaijan is the only country in the region that is a member of the Water Convention. The other countries are not members of this convention. Therefore, we must pay attention to international cooperation on this issue. In this matter, we need to think not only about our own country, but also about the region.”
Deputy Chairman of the State Agency of Water Resources of Azerbaijan (ASWR) Ilham Bayramov noted that it is planned to create water reserves with a volume of 350 million cubic meters in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. He recalled that design and estimate documents for water supply to 10 cities and 79 settlements in Eastern Zangezur and Karabakh have already been approved.
The representative of ADSEA noted that repair and restoration work on several reservoirs – Khachinchay and Kondalanchay – has been completed: "Construction of the Zabukhchay reservoir and the laying of a 51-kilometer main pipeline from Zabukhchay were carried out. At the same time, work is underway in this region to build the Khakarichay and Bargushadchay reservoirs."
Later, Rafig Aslanov, head of the State Service for Supervision of Water Resources Use and Protection under the State Water Resources Agency, noted that the reconstruction of the Shirvan irrigation canal will be completed by the end of 2027.
He stated that several large reservoirs are being reconstructed
in Azerbaijan, and new water facilities are also being built: "The
Shirvan irrigation canal is currently being reconstructed. Work has
already begun. Work on the project is continuing successfully. Most
likely, work on the project will be completed by the end of
2027.
Project documentation for the reconstruction of the Karabakh
irrigation canal is also being prepared. The reconstruction of this
canal will begin next year."
“The goal is to raise awareness among the population and business entities in the field of water use protection,” Aslanov noted.
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