Contamination of Kura, Aras Rivers exceeds norm

The Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry held a monitoring into the level of contamination of transboundary rivers in the first decade of August.

The ministry revealed that the level of contamination of the Kura and Aras Rivers by Georgia and Armenia exceeds the norm.

Amount of nutrients in the Kura waters exceeds the norm due flow of domestic and industrial wastes from Georgia and Armenia to water facilities without initial purification. Composition of specific contaminants of phenol and copper compounds exceeded the allowed density norm in water, the ministry said on Aug.13.

In the Shikhly-2 area content of phenols, main pollutants of water, exceeded the allowed density by 4 times and ammonium ions by 1.3 times. Content of phenols exceeded the allowed density by 2 times and copper by 3 times in the Agstafachay area and 2 and 2 times respectively in Agstafachay reservoir.

According to the monitoring, content of copper in the water exceeded the allowed density twice and phenols by 3 times in Horadiz section of the Araz River transbordering with Armenia, 2 and 3 times respectively in the Shahsevan I and 3 times in Bahramtapa.

Azerbaijan ratified the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes to solve the problem of transboundary water basins at the regional level in accordance with international standards. The problem exacerbated by the fact that Armenia and Georgia are not parties to the convention.

/Trend News/