Swimming banned at the beaches of Shuvalan, Mardakan, Shikhov, Garadagh district and the Sumgayit coast

This year swimming is banned at the capital's beaches of Shuvalan, Mardakan, Shikhov and Sahil (Garadagh district), and on the stretch of beach from Jorat to the settlement of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev (Sumgayit territory).
As Vagif Abdullayev, deputy director general for sanitary and hygiene matters of the Republican Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology (RCHE), told «Ekho», the results of the monitoring of the beaches of Baku, Sumgayit and Absheron show that these areas are polluted, which is why swimming there is not allowed.

«We have completed the monitoring of all the beaches of Baku, Sumgayit and Absheron, with the exception of Novkhani and Zagulba. This year we are carrying out the work jointly with the MENR. Based on the results of the studies, the ban on swimming at the beaches of Shuvalan, Mardakan, Shikhov and Sahil, imposed by the republic's deputy chief sanitary doctor, is being extended. The decision was made due to the heavy pollution of these areas with wastewater. Because, as was reported, repair work on the treatment facilities in the Shuvalan-Mardakan zone has not been completed, wastewater is flowing onto the beach areas. For this reason, swimming will not be permitted there this year», he noted.

At the same time, the stretch from Jorat to the settlement of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev (Sumgayit territory) has been declared unfit for swimming, where swimming is also not permitted due to heavy pollution. A resolution was also issued earlier regarding this area, and it remains in force.

The remaining beaches are fine; monitoring still has to be completed in Zagulba and Novkhani, V. Abdullayev pointed out. «Because of the weather conditions we cannot finish them, since it is impossible to go out to sea to take samples. As soon as the weather improves, we will complete the monitoring and try to inform the public about the condition of the beaches as quickly as possible».

After the monitoring is completed, the RCHE will officially inform the Baku executive authority and the police so that they take measures to prevent swimming at the banned beaches…»

According to studies by the MENR of the Republic of Azerbaijan of the Pirshagi-Pirallahi coastal area during January-May 2008, from a microbiological point of view the following areas are in normal condition: the area near the «Mayak» recreation site; Dubendi, behind the military unit; the Dubendi terminal, the area of the Dubendi gardens (occasional recording of slight pollution is linked to increased wind speed at the time); the area of the «Severnaya» power station (occasional recording of slight pollution is linked to increased wind speed at the time); the Mardakan coastal strip, the area of the Marina beach recreation center; the area of the Bilgah Cardiology Sanatorium; the area of the Bilgah coastal strip, Amburan beach. Observations in the Mardakan coastal strip (the area of the «Gyzyl gumm» recreation center) recorded slight pollution only in the last week of May. Thanks to the modular-type treatment unit in the direction of the «Ali ayagi» shrine of the settlement of Buzovna, slight pollution was recorded only once in the five months of this year. This happened on 24 May 2008. The causes were strong wind and pollution from another direction. In the Buzovna coastal strip (the old village area), slight pollution was observed in May. The cause was wind and pollution from another direction. Recently, the E. coli count in the Gyzylnokhur and Shorgel areas of the Pirshagi coastal strip has been within the norm. A gradual return to normal of the pollution level in the Nardaran coastal strip is being observed. Noting the improvement in the situation, the MENR attributes it to the commissioning of the installed modular-type treatment units.

«Ekho»
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