Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The environmental situation in the Caspian Sea, which is the largest inland body of water in the world, is one of the most important issues for the littoral states.

Despite measures taken by the Caspian-littoral countries –Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Iran – its pollution problem is still source of concern.

The Caspian Sea is under a constant threat of pollution. There are various sources of pollution, such as river flow, onshore industrial and municipal wastewater, offshore and onshore oil extraction and sea level growth as a result of flooded coastal zones.

The intensive oil and gas development in the Caspian region has especially resulted in extensive air, water and land pollution, wildlife and plant degradation, ecosystem disturbances, desertification and considerable losses in biological and landscape diversity.

Taking into account these factors, the coastal states work on measures effectively to deal with the problem.

The National Iranian Oil Company has adopted a comprehensive plan to remove oil pollution from the Caspian Sea.

Stating that Iran calls on all Caspian Sea littoral countries to observe the environmental concerns of the sea, Caspian Oil Company CEO Ali Osuli said a new plan has been devised to fight the high risk of oil pollution in the sea, SHANA news agency reported.

He explained that according to the plan, hydrodynamic data – including meteorological reports and the recognition of prevalent winds in the southern Caspian Sea and the formation of waves in the area – are to be gathered from 32 years of archives and will be used in a system that will provide 72 scenarios to deal with the pollution.

Osuli also called upon littoral countries to form a database that could be used to protect the sea and deal with related crises when oil pollutants threaten the sea.

Iran held a maritime drill on meeting oil spill emergency situations on June 15 and 16.

Iran has launched three oil recovery ships in the Caspian Sea to collect oil-polluted seawater, the Iranian media reported.

Russians are reportedly the greatest polluters. Eighty percent of Caspian pollution comes from Russia, according to reports.

The Caspian Sea is a home to 80-85 percent of the world’s sturgeon, which has lately been facing a sharp decline in population. Moreover, the Caspian Sea, with its rich natural resources is also home to about 141 other fish species.

Moreover, this natural wonder is struggling with different problems, including pollution. The unresolved issue of the legal status is damaging the flora and fauna of the unique water basin.

The five coastal statessigned a framework convention on the protection of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003. The littoral states have not been able to come to a single agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea for more than 20 years.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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