Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Ilhamgizi / The Green Party of Azerbaijan (GPA) accuses the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan of inactivity and injures to population's health as a result of hazardous industrial wastes in Azerbaijan's city of Sumgayit, mentioned by the Party's statement made on 2 November. The report 'World's Worst Polluted Places' of New York organization 'Blacksmith institute' named Sumgayit in the top 10 of worst polluted cities of seven countries. Due to it, the GPA held monitoring of ecological situation in Sumgayit and its surrounding territories.
A complicated ecological situation has been revealed as a result of monitoring in Sumgayit and its surrounding territories. The population complains of toxic smock in nights. According to the population, the complaints expressed to the 'hot line' of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources still remain without answer. The monitoring made clear that the green areas in Sumgayit-Khirdalan and Apsheron territories are destroyed in a mass scale. According to the Party, destroying green area is implemented according to the 'mutual agreement' between the territorial department of ecology and natural resources and interested sides.
"Hundreds of hectares of green areas have been destroyed in Sumgayit and its surrounding territories in the recent year," the Party's monitoring says.
Toxic wastes occurred in the Sumgayit-Absheron manufacturing area is illegally delivered to the area of domestic wastes in Sumgayit and burned. "More than 3,000 tons of wastes are delivered to the area of domestic wastes in Sumgayit from the aluminum plant. The wastes from the aluminum plant and Azcompozit plant are thrown out to the environment. The Ministry normally reacts to the open sale of 2.6mln tons of the 4th class hazardous wastes by Azerboru JSC. Some 1.6mln tons of such hazardous wastes are distributed in cities, regions and villages," the monitoring says.
The Party contends that the removal of coastal sand and land from Sumgayit and around territories are carried out under the leadership of the employees of the organization of the Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry.
Huseyingulu Bagirov, the Ecology and Natural Resources Minister, said in the interview to journalists that the Sumgayit aluminum plant and Azkompozit were fined and ordered to take measures to stop the pollution. According to the Minister, if the orders are not implemented, the Ministry will appeal to court to stop operation of the plants.