Prolonged rains triggering landslides in southern region

/AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

Prolonged rains in Azerbaijan have triggered several landslides in the southern region of the country, Head of the Group to Study of Exogenous Geological Processes and Geological Planning Expedition under Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry Sadiq Amiraslanov said on November 4.

The landslides are seen in all areas along the main road in Lerik. Meanwhile, other landslides were noticed at the 27th, 45th and 50th kilometers of Lankaran-Lerik highway.

"Many roads were hit by the disaster. However, this has not cut the traffic yet," he said.

Amiraslanov said, heavy snow in the Southern region at an altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level caused other landslides in Lankaran and Yardimli. No other landslides were reported in other areas so far, he noted.

Landslide zones have became more active in Azerbaijan since October, because of a drought in the summer months, and emergence of new cracks in the earth's surface and heavy rainfall.

The prolonged drought was observed in Azerbaijan this summer, which caused mudflows in the mountainous areas. The drought created the ground for further mudslides this year.

Landslides are usually reported in spring and autumn in Azerbaijan.

The weather conditions are currently unsustainable in the country, and the temperature has dropped to 12 degrees C, which is quite unusual for Azerbaijan in November.

A heavy snow fell on the north of the country in Khinalig village of Guba region, which created traffic problems.

However, the weather is expected to get stable as of November 5.