AZE.US
Water inflow into the Caspian Sea has fallen by 10–15% in recent years, as countries in the region prepare new measures to address falling water levels and pollution.
Dmytro Shlapachenko, the United Nations resident coordinator in Azerbaijan, gave the estimate while announcing the launch of the “Blueing the Caspian Sea” project, Vesti Baku reports.
The initiative, to be implemented by the U.N. Environment Program and the U.N. Office for Project Services, calls for stronger pollution monitoring, biodiversity protection and regional environmental cooperation.
Shlapachenko said the Caspian receives most of its water from the Volga River, but the volume flowing into the sea has declined by 10-15% in recent years. Recruitment of international and national specialists for the project is expected to begin soon.
Iran Proposes Regional Plan
Iran’s Department of Environment has separately proposed a regional action plan to address the Caspian Sea’s declining water level. The proposal has been sent to the secretariat of the Tehran Convention and the Caspian littoral states and is undergoing technical review.
The falling water level has been discussed at regional meetings for more than a year. Iran assumed the convention’s rotating presidency during the seventh Conference of the Parties in Tehran, scheduled for Sept. 20-23.
The Tehran Convention brings together Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan to protect the Caspian marine environment. Its interim secretariat is administered by the U.N. Environment Program in Geneva.
Source: Vesti Baku