The project Water resources management on South Caucasus was launched in Azerbaijan within Water Resource Program for South Caucasus impel meted by PA Government Services Inc. Trend reports the project aims at strengthening regional cooperation in sustainable and effective management of transborder water resources.
The project is scheduled for three years and concentrated on two water basins, River Alazan (between Georgia and Azerbaijan) and rivers of Khrami and Debed between Georgia and Armenia.
At the project presentation held in Baku office, expert Smita Malpani said she had been to Zagatala with Azeri project team and met with representative of concerned sides, local power and NGOs. The project is financed by USAID.
Answering Trends correspondent questions, Dr Rafik Verdiyev, Azeri project manager, said Azerbaijan experiences problems both with quality and quantity of drinking water: systematic pollution of Kura and Araz rivers waters, lack of centralized water supply systems and drainage and so on.
He underlined the tense ecological situation on Kura River linked to the discharge of non-treated waters in Georgia. All municipal and industrial wastes are discharged to Kura near Azeri-Georgian border. The project, he said, will boost water resources protection and utilization using the good world practice.