BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 5. The assessment of groundwater resources in the Republic of Azerbaijan is carried out through hydrogeological studies conducted by the "Geological Survey Agency" under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, said Atakhan Badalov, Head of the Department for Water Use and Protection at ADSEA, Trend reports.
In a press conference held by the State Service for Water Use and Protection under the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA), Atakhan noted that these studies use data collected from 8,800 observation wells, including over 2,100 therapeutic, karez, and thermal water wells.
He explained that in order to assess surface water resources, regular hydrological monitoring is conducted on rivers across the country and the Caspian Sea section belonging to Azerbaijan. Monitoring is conducted at 88 stations and measuring locations where water levels, temperature, and discharge rates are recorded bi-daily. Water samples are collected for laboratory analysis to ascertain chemical markers.
"Additionally, to evaluate the hydrogeological reclamation status across the country and determine the salinization dynamics of irrigated land, soil samples are analyzed in laboratories to measure the amount of salts in one liter of water. These results are then sent to regional zones. Salinity maps are created at a scale of 1:50,000. These maps play a crucial role in the implementation of reclamation measures and preventive actions to mitigate the risk of re-salinization in soils. Moreover, real-time data is obtained through equipment installed at 40 automatic hydrological stations on rivers," he noted.
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