Azerbaijan's working group holds meeting on environmental issues in liberated territories
By Trend
Azerbaijan's Working Group on Environmental Issues at the Inter-Management Center under the Coordination Headquarters created for centralized addressing of issues in the country's liberated (from Armenian occupation during the 44-day war from late Sept. through early Nov.2020) territories, held meeting, Trend reports on Mar.11.
The working group, consisting of relevant government agencies' representatives, is involved in addressing issues on a preliminary assessment of damage inflicted by Armenian occupation to the environment and natural resources of the liberated territories, restoration of their biodiversity, water management, and ecological monitoring.
Besides, the issues to be addressed by the group include the restoration of the hydro-meteorological network, monitoring of existing mineral resources and revaluation of resources, a compilation of thematic and topographic maps, restoration of degraded lands, planning of appropriate resources for agricultural land, and food security in the liberated territories.
The relevant structures have started to implement the action plan of the working group. So, in order to assess the environmental situation in Azerbaijani districts liberated from the Armenian occupation, comprehensive monitoring, and control related to Azerbaijan’s trans-boundary rivers, including the Zangilan district bordering with Iran and Armenia, is carried out.
In the district’s Basitchay (name of the river) State Nature Reserve, with the participation of specialists from the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences, monitoring is being carried out to plan the assessment and restoration works.
For the aim to study the radiological and radioecological situation in the liberated territories, a plan-program has been developed in cooperation with the relevant state institutions.
In order to assess the situation related to the thermal and mineral water sources in the liberated Kalbajar district, hydrochemical works were carried out. The monitoring results were analyzed given data as of the period before the district’s occupation (in 1993).
The meeting participants noted that projects were developed for geological exploration and assessment of the state of ore and non-metallic deposits, deposits of building materials in the liberated Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts, monitoring and assessment of groundwater and thermal-mineral water sources in the Kalbajar and Shusha districts, and work is currently being planned on the site. Maps of 13 ore deposits in the Karabakh economic region have been compiled. Besides, work continues on the compilation of topographic maps of the liberated districts.
To measure the potential of renewable energy sources, employees of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy inspected areas with solar energy potential in Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Gubadly, and Lachin districts, and a measuring-observation station was installed in Zangilan district.
The group’s relevant structures are working on the rational use of the liberated territories’ hydropower potential.
For the development of the fishing industry in the region, work is being carried out to identify territories for the creation of fishing farms, as well as to restore previously existing and destroyed farms.
On the basis of satellite images, a preliminary assessment and mapping of degraded lands are carried out, potential cultivated areas have been established and their maps have been compiled for the restoration and organization of agricultural activities in the liberated districts.
The group on environmental issues works in close contact and exchange of information with other working groups of the Inter-Management Center.
The Chief of the Presidential Administration Samir Nuriyev is managing the Coordination Headquarters for the centralized addressing of issues in the liberated territories.
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