This archive report was first published on 29 September 2021.
Published on September 29, 2021
Azerbaijan has expressed deep concern over the high levels of pollution in the Okhchuchay River, which originates in Armenia and flows into Azerbaijan.
Ruslan Nasibov, a foreign affairs officer at the Azerbaijani embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said the situation is a major environmental and health issue in the country.
"We are deeply concerned about the environmental and health impacts of the ongoing pollution in the Okhchuchay River, which is being carried out by two international companies from Armenia," he said.
The Okhchuchay River is being polluted by two Armenian companies, Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine and Kapan Mining & Processing Plant, which are operating in Armenia.
"The river has been heavily polluted with toxic waste from these companies' factories, and now it's a threat to the lives of Azerbaijani citizens," Nasibov said.
He revealed that a recent study conducted between January and March this year showed that high levels of hazardous metals such as copper, molybdenum, magnesium, iron, zinc, and chromium have entered the river.
"We discovered that the level of pollution in the Okhchuchay River was high compared to other rivers in neighboring countries," he said.
Nasibov warned that the pollution of the river will harm aquatic life and pose a risk to the health of millions of people who use the contaminated water for drinking and irrigation.
He noted that 70% of Azerbaijan's water supply comes from rivers flowing in from neighboring countries, including the Okhchuchay River.
"The pollution of this water will have severe consequences for the people of Azerbaijan and the entire Caucasus region," he said.
Nasibov called on the international community to intervene in the matter, which involves Armenia, and urged the country to sign the Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, which was signed in 1992 in Finland.
