Ministry of Ecology: "The Shuvalan beach is being polluted by Azersu. In this part of the sea, the E. coli count exceeds the norm by 1560 times"

Under the law, sewage water management in Azerbaijan is carried out by Azersu OJSC, while the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, together with the Ministry of Health, oversees it within the scope of their authority.
This is stated in a comment by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan on the information and photos concerning the discharge of sewage waste directly into the waters of the Shuvalan beach.

The comment notes: "It is gratifying that our citizens do not remain indifferent to cases of pollution of the Caspian Sea and report them to the media."

The ministry noted that the area referred to in the information belongs to the Mardakan-Shuvalan treatment complex, which is owned by Azersu OJSC.

"The equipment in question has fallen into disrepair, and in 2007 Azersu OJSC suspended its operation. Because of this, the dirty water that is supposed to be treated at these facilities is discharged into the sea untreated. This is also confirmed by water samples taken from the facility's emergency line. In this part of the sea, the E. coli count exceeds the norm by 1560 times. The ministry took into account the promise by Azersu OJSC that major repair work would be carried out here and completed by the end of 2007. However, since the work has not been completed, the ministry has demanded that Azersu OJSC speed up the work.

At the same time, the responsible officials were fined administratively in accordance with the law. It must be admitted that these fines do not prevent the discharge of dirty water into the sea. However, Azersu OJSC is expected to put this facility in proper order within a short time. Monitoring of the situation continues," the comment by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan says.

In addition, the Ministry of Ecology noted that on April 4 and 18, 2008, monitoring was carried out at the biological treatment facilities in Buzovna, commissioned in September 2006, and at the old Zygh treatment facility. It is noted that the facilities belong to the Baku Sewerage Services Department of Azersu OJSC.

The monitoring revealed that the amount of harmful substances in the water discharged into the sea exceeds the permissible norms, which is a violation of the Law "On Environmental Protection" and the "Water Code".

"The ministry previously issued a warning about the poor performance of these facilities. Water samples taken at the Buzovna biological treatment facility give grounds to say that the E. coli count in the dirty water exceeds the norm by 340 times. In connection with this, the Baku Sewerage Services Department was fined in accordance with the "Code of Administrative Offenses", and mandatory instructions consisting of 7 points were issued to eliminate the shortcomings."

In addition, the Ministry of Ecology noted that, in accordance with an order of the President of Azerbaijan, 9 biological modular treatment stations have been installed in Mardakan, Buzovna, Bilgah, Nardaran and Pirshagi to establish a system for protecting the ecological environment of the Caspian Sea, prevent the discharge of dirty water into the sea and bring the microbiological situation back to normal. Thanks to the effective operation of these stations, pollution of the Caspian Sea has been prevented at the above-mentioned locations. The ministry carries out periodic monitoring at these stations.

Day.Az