BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 7
Trend:
The protection of nature should become the cause of every citizen because this is our country, our life, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his closing speech at the conference dedicated to the results of first year implementation of "The State Program on socio-economic development of the regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2019-2023", Trend reports.
“The focus is always on improving the environmental situation,” Ilham Aliyev said. “Very important measures are being taken in this direction. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has built modular treatment plants in many villages along the rivers. However, according to information coming from some places, several such installations have failed. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to conduct monitoring related to the operation of these facilities, analyze and report to me what state they are in. Secondly, proposals on their operation should be submitted. Unfortunately, these installations are left to the mercy of fate now.”
“Local executive bodies and municipalities should actually deal with the operation of these facilities,” added the Azerbaijani president. “In many places this is not the case. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has built these facilities and completed its work, as it were. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct monitoring, build such facilities in new villages if necessary and determine the specific agency responsible for their operation.”
“The process of planting trees will be continued,” Ilham Aliyev said. “Last year, 650,000 trees were planted in one day in connection with the 650th anniversary of the birth of Nasimi. The number of trees planted in recent years may have exceeded 10-20 million. This is a very positive fact. In particular, this process has and should gain momentum in regions where nature is not very rich in trees. At the same time, the process of cleaning up contaminated areas and land reclamation continues.”
“This work is and will be carried out on the Absheron Peninsula,” noted the Azerbaijani president. “The process of cleaning up the existing lakes should be expanded. So far, we have cleaned only a part of Lake Beyukshor. This is also a very large project. Cleaning up the other part, as well as other lakes, is on the agenda today.”
“A lot of work has been done in this direction in recent years,” added Ilham Aliyev. “Residents and visitors to Baku feel that air quality has improved significantly. Due to what? Due to the fact that we have eliminated many sources of air pollution. One of them was the Bibiheybat area, which represented a site of environmental disaster. There is a park there now, there are sports facilities, alleys have been created, the boulevard has been extended to this zone. Secondly, air and the environment were largely polluted by the Black City.”
“At present, there is a White City in its place,” said the Azerbaijani president. “This is also a large urban development project. In the near future, as a result of the relocation of the oil refinery from this territory, the length of the boulevard will be increased and the environmental situation in this area will become even better. Of course, it is possible to say that the Balakhani dump was poisoning the air because it was impossible to extinguish the household waste burning there. At present, there is a large incineration plant and a segregation landfill there. This territory has become an ecologically clean area.”
“In other words, we are doing everything for the environmental situation in Baku to improve and not cause any harm to people’s health,” Ilham Aliyev noted. “At the same time, Sumgayit, where the environmental situation was once difficult, is an environmentally clean city now. When visiting there, I tell the people of Sumgayit that air in Sumgayit is cleaner than in Baku. But the air in Baku has also become significantly cleaner. Our focus is mainly on large cities, in particular the Absheron Peninsula and those where industrial enterprises are located. In other places of Azerbaijan, nature is inviolable, we must protect it. Nature must be protected in all our regions because it is our asset. Sometimes trees are cut down and buildings are erected in their place. This should not be allowed! Relevant instructions have been issued. The protection of nature should become the cause of every citizen because this is our country, our life.”