TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, October 9. One of
the most serious problems facing the Caspian is its shallowing. The
decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea has been ongoing for
many years. Regrettably, this process has accelerated noticeably in
recent times, and the situation continues to deteriorate. A
substantial reduction in the sea’s surface area is being observed.
The total area of the sea surface has already decreased by more
than 20,000 square kilometers, President Ilham Aliyev said as he
addressed the Caspian Environmental Summit in
Turkmenbashi, Trend's special correspondent reports.
The head of state emphasized that if the current trend
continued, the consequences could be catastrophic. He noted that
the problem of shallowing had implications beyond the
environment.
“The decline in sea level directly affects the interests of our
states, impacting the lives of people in coastal areas, the economy
and transport. We see how the shoreline is receding, the ecosystem
is changing, and operational difficulties are arising for ports and
other coastal infrastructure facilities. As a result of the decline
in the Caspian Sea level, nearly 30,000 hectares of dry land have
formed in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian alone,” the
Azerbaijani leader added.
