BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 26. Fresh water reserves are seriously decreasing in Azerbaijan, Spokesman for Azersu OJSC Anar Jabrayilli said at a briefing, Trend reports.
According to Jabrayilli, complex measures are currently being taken in this regard.
"Following the decision of the Chairman of the State Water Reserves Agency (Hikmat Mammadov), an action plan has been elaborated. In accordance with the plan, special groups have been created for each district, which began their activities on May 1. They are monitoring plants, factories and other facilities, investigating the facts of uncontrolled and illegal use of water," he noted.
From 2014 until 2020, the volume of water in the Kura river, one of the biggest rivers in Azerbaijan, decreased by 25 percent.
In 2021, the country's total water resources amounted to 24 billion cubic meters, of which 15 billion cubic meters accounted for surface, and nine billion cubic meters - underground resources.
A total of 11 billion cubic meters of water enter Azerbaijan from outside, and four billion cubic meters are formed on the territory of the country, which indicates to gradual decrease of local water resources.
Over the past 20 years or so, their volume has decreased by 15 percent mainly due to the increase in air temperature in recent years. Of the total water resources of Azerbaijan, five billion cubic meters fall on the liberated territories.