BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 28. Armenia is deliberately discharging mining wastewater into the Okhchuchay river, Faig Mutallimov from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan told Trend.
He claimed that the Armenian occupation had burned about 100,000 hectares of forest in Azerbaijani territory.
He highlighted the plundering of underground natural resources and mineral deposits without any consideration for environmental regulations.
"There are environmental standards for the exploitation of all natural resources, which help reduce environmental impact and ensure the sustainable use of these resources. However, when these standards are not followed, the depletion of resources occurs, leading to serious environmental consequences," the official emphasized.
Mutallimov also claimed that the occupation had resulted in the looting of protected areas and other natural resources.
"The water resources are polluted. Even during the occupation, the Sarsang reservoir's water management regime created irrigation challenges for unoccupied villages and settlements. This led to severe droughts in the summer, agricultural challenges, soil degradation, and floods during the winter months," he highlighted.
The official then stated that they had appealed to the Armenian side and passed a resolution to forbid the use of water resources for political purposes.
International treaties and standards generally regulate the prevention of such mass and deliberate environmental destruction.
There are conventions for protecting water resources. The Okhchuchay river's pollution serves as an example, but regrettably, our water resources remained contaminated even after the occupation.
Despite calls and statements on various platforms, the Armenian side is deliberately discharging mining wastewater into the Okhchuchay river, exacerbating environmental pollution in the area. The restoration will take considerable time," he added.
The Okchuchay river that goes through Armenia’s land joins the Araz river. The Armenian copper-molybdenum factory and gold mine dumped their waste into these rivers. As a result, the land and water in the area are very dirty and unsafe. The Araz river crosses many countries, so it is also hurting the environment in Azerbaijan.
Armenia's pollution of the Araz river has been a long-standing issue that has attracted international attention and intervention. As a signatory to the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, the European Union dispatched an observer mission to monitor the situation in Arazdayan, where Armenia and the US were building a large metallurgical plant near the border with Azerbaijan. Expected to produce 180,000 tons of copper and molybdenum products annually, the plant also posed a serious threat to the environment and health of millions of people in the region.
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