Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Rauf Hajiyev has said that 13 automatic hydroelectric power plants (HEPPs) will be built in the country’s liberated lands by late 2021, Trend has reported.

He made the remarks at the Azerbaijani-German forum on “Sustainable Development of Water Infrastructure in Azerbaijan”, the report added.

Hajiyev stressed that the priority issue in this area is to protect the water resources of Azerbaijan.

“We record the reduction of water resources in Azerbaijan. In order to ensure the sustainability of water resources, a plan for their use has been developed,” he said.

The deputy minister added that other relevant plans and strategies have been developed and submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers.

Speaking about the presence of rich water resources in liberated lands, Hajiyev underlined that facts of water pollution there were revealed following the conducted monitoring.

He stated that water resources in these areas are being used for agricultural purposes, for the generation of electricity, as well as for personal consumption.

He invited international organizations to participate in the implementation of water projects in Azerbaijan.

Co-op with Germany over mitigating pollution consequences

German ambassador Wolfgang Manig said that German technologies can be extremely useful for mitigating the consequences of the pollution of the Okhchuchay River, which flows through the territory of Azerbaijan’s Zangilan region.

Stating that the severe pollution of the river had been disclosed several months ago, the ambassador noted the importance of this river for agriculture and other spheres.

“German companies are ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan in the development of water infrastructure. We are confident that such cooperation will be established. Our companies not only offer services and innovations but also create new jobs,” he said.

Cooperation with foreign companies

Azersu First Deputy Chairman Teyyub Jabbarov said that Azerbaijan may expand cooperation with German companies in the development of water infrastructure.

He stated that one of the German companies had already taken part in the construction of a water infrastructure facility in Baku.

Jabbarov added that a number of projects on water infrastructure had been implemented in Azerbaijan over the past ten years.

"Seven banks from Germany, Japan, South Korea and some other countries provided financing for these projects. In Ganja, a water pipeline and water purification works have been done to upgrade the water infrastructure. Similar work has been done in Shaki," he said.

Noting that the latest technologies are used to manage water networks, he stated that Azersu is interested in purchasing European-made water infrastructure equipment.

The 1st German-Azerbaijani Sustainability Forum is organized in the framework of a four-day business trip of German companies from the sustainable water and wastewater management sector to Azerbaijan.

The opening of the forum took place on October 12 in Baku and brought together about 150 high-ranking business representatives from Azerbaijan and Germany.

The forum aims to create a productive business platform for the exchange of best practices between German and Azerbaijani stakeholders in the field of green technologies, by bringing together business representatives and high-ranking representatives of economic and political institutions from the two countries. Moreover, the event offers direct public and private dialogue opportunities through panel discussions, expert presentations, workshops, and B2B meetings.

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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad

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