New boulevard under construction in Baku
By Nigar Orujova
Baku residents will enjoy walking along another beautiful boulevard in near future.
The new construction is part of a larger plan to clean Lake Boyukshor, the largest lake in Absheron, located near the Baku Olympic Stadium.
Major environmental projects are being implemented today in Azerbaijan’s capital. One of them is now successfully underway on Lake Boyukshor. The lake is being divided into two parts with a dam already built.
The first stage of the cleaning process that will end by the inaugural European Games in Baku in June 2015 will turn Lake Boyukshor into a clear, beautiful and well-maintained lake on an area of 300 hectares in the city center.
Along with the one-kilometer-long boulevard around the lake, there will be a forest, a promenade, sports and biking lanes.
Works on walking zone have already been accomplished. In addition, a park will be created on the lake shore by Ziya Bunyadov Avenue.
At present, the lake’s bottom is being cleaned from oil wastes. One million cubic meters of oil waste have already been removed. In general, 2.8 million cubic meters of oil waste are expected to be removed from the lake’s bottom.
The restoration project of Boyukshor is expected to be accomplished by 2020.
Earlier, the world's leading experts said Boyukshor is one of the most polluted lakes in the world. The rehabilitation process is carried out in two stages. The first stage includes separation of the most polluted part from the rest of the reservoir by using the dam.
The average cost of the first stage of the project will amount to 99.5 million manat. The second stage of the restoration project is expected to cost 183 million manat.
Azerbaijan's second largest lake Boyukshor is polluted with the waste from surrounding industrial facilities. The lakes' pollution not only poses a threat to the health of those living in its neighborhoods, but also creates conditions for the emergence of different diseases.
Eight other contaminated lakes on the Absheron peninsula are expected to be restored in the near future.