President Ilham Aliyev: “Among the infrastructure projects implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years, the Shirvan irrigation canal is of special importance”
In addition to the development of the economy of Azerbaijan and raising the socio-cultural level of the population, the effective use of natural resources and protection of ecological balance are always in the focus of the state. President Ilham Aliyev set the goal of protecting the environment and creating a healthy ecological environment as one of the priority issues. In this regard, a number of normative legal acts on ecology, nature protection and efficient use of natural resources have been adopted in recent years, and important practical steps have been taken in the field of nature protection and health. A number of large water basins were built, and drainage systems were built to clean the soil from salinity. In the country, forest cover strips have been established for the purpose of strengthening shores and preventing soil erosion in the Caspian sand dunes, and a number of nature reserves and prohibitions have been created for the preservation and development of flora and fauna. On April 16, President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation of the Shirvan irrigation canal, which will be reconstructed in Hajigabul district, is the next step taken by the state in the direction of securing water resources and solving environmental problems in general.
It should be noted that the land channel Yukhari Shirvan irrigation canal, which was commissioned in 1958 and is the second largest canal in the country, starts from the Mingachevir reservoir. The Upper Shirvan canal provides irrigation to more than 112 thousand hectares of agricultural land and residential areas of Yevlakh, Agdash, Goychay, Zardab, Ujar, Kurdamir, Ismayilli and Agsu regions located on the Shirvan plain.
As a result of continuous operation of the canal with a water carrying capacity of 78 cubic meters per second and a length of 122 kilometers for more than 65 years, a sharp increase in annual water losses and the loss of functions of the facilities, the land reclamation condition has deteriorated and degraded. All these created shortages in the supply of irrigation water to the existing farmlands during the growing season, deepened the tension in meeting the ever-increasing water demand of the region and led to a violation of the ecological balance. In his speech at the event, President Ilham Aliyev said that the Shirvan irrigation canal has a special importance among the infrastructure projects implemented in Azerbaijan in recent years: “The Upper Shirvan irrigation canal has been operating for many years. The canal is an earthen channel and over the years, most of the canal has fallen into disrepair. Due to losses and water leaks, the surrounding land has become saline and unsuitable for cultivation”.
Decree of President Ilham Aliyev on the reconstruction of the Shirvan irrigation canal on April 8 in order to restore the infrastructure of the Upper Shirvan irrigation canal, as well as to support the timely and efficient solution of water supply issues of existing farms, to use water resources more efficiently, and to increase the subflow capacity of the main canal signed. According to the order, the name of the Upper Shirvan irrigation canal was changed to Shirvan irrigation canal.
The head of state said that many infrastructure projects have been resolved in Azerbaijan:
“The level of gasification has reached 96 percent. The supply of electricity and the creation of new power plants have expanded and we have made significant progress. Our whole country is surrounded by new, modern roads. Therefore, among the main infrastructure projects facing the government in the coming years, drinking water projects and irrigation projects will be the main task.” In modern times, the problems of energy supply and proper use of energy carriers play a serious role in the economic and political relations of the countries of the world community. Constantly increasing oil and gas production and the dynamic development of industries related to it have become the main factors that lead to the increase of negative effects on the environment on our planet and the disruption of the ecological balance. In order to solve these problems and to prevent the factors that can lead to the disturbance of the ecological balance, the joint action of the society is necessary. In this regard, in Azerbaijan, which is the oldest country with an oil industry, as a result of many years of oil and gas production and processing, large areas of land have become unusable due to pollution from oil industry waste. As a result of the development of the oil industry, the violation of the ecological balance in the Absheron peninsula is more noticeable. Regulation of the ecological situation in the oil and gas production areas of the peninsula, in production areas, requires prompt solution of problems. In this direction, SOCAR’s Ecology Department has also done the necessary work. It should be recalled that President Ilham Aliyev approved the “Comprehensive Action Plan for improving the environmental situation in the Republic of Azerbaijan”.
In the Complex Action Plan, the general directions of practical activities in the field of environmental protection, environmental safety and efficient use of natural resources were defined. It is important to minimize activities in ecologically sensitive areas. Pollution in the Caspian Sea and other water bodies should be assessed. It is very positive that various greening events are being held. International cooperation is carried out in the field of using environmentally friendly and energy-saving technologies.
The main purpose of the events related to ecology is to change people’s attitude towards environmental protection and to direct the public’s attention to the solution of environmental problems. It is easier and more effective to protect nature by developing the awareness and thinking of the population in this area. It is a good thing that international organizations also support the work done by the state of Azerbaijan in this direction.
Agayev Nabi Baba oglu
Head of the Farm Division of the Child Rehabilitation Center of the Scientific-Research Institute of Pediatrics named after K. Y. Farajova