A NEW YEAR PRESENT FOR CENTURIES TO COME

The end of the year is traditionally the time to review work done, evaluate what has been accomplished over the past 365 days and make plans for the next 12 months. Many want to finish the year with a joyous event because, as the legend goes, the better you see the New Year in, the more entertaining it will be.

On this basis next year, the Year of the Rabbit, will be one of the best for Azerbaijan - rich in good events, successful and profitable. At the end of 2010, Azerbaijan commissioned one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in its history - the Oguz-Qabala-Baku water pipeline. As President Ilham Aliyev told a ceremony marking the commissioning of the pipeline, "this day will go down in history". Frankly, only a handful of people really believed that this massive project could be completed in a matter of three years.

As we all know, Baku has had a problem with drinking water for centuries. At the dawn of the 20th century, the city's water problem was resolved by the construction of the Shollar water pipeline by renowned Azerbaijani philanthropist Haci Zeynalabdin Tagiyev. In the 1970s, the capital's ever-growing demand for drinking water was met by the construction of the Kura and Ceyranbatan water pipelines, under the leadership of nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev. The next such event was the construction of the Oguz-Qabala-Baku water pipeline, spearheaded by President Ilham Aliyev at the start of the 21st century. All the prior projects were certainly of lesser scope than the new water line.

The initiative to transfer pure water resources from the Oguz-Qabala zone to Baku came from nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev, but in those days it was only a dream. Only in 2005 did it become feasible, when detailed development of the project commenced on the instruction of President Ilham Aliyev. The foundations of this project were laid in the village of Sincan, in Oguz District, in March 2007, and construction began. To fill a pipeline stretching over 262 km with water, numerous artesian wells were drilled and a substation built. The main complex of water intake facilities was built in Oguz District at an altitude of 417 metres above sea level. In addition, numerous facilities were established along the pipeline to regulate water levels.

So far only 40 per cent of the Baku population has a continuous water supply, while 60 per cent have water on a certain schedule. The commissioning of Oguz-Qabala-Baku will provide 75 per cent of the population with continuous water meeting the requirements of the World Health Organization. Continuous water supply will almost double in scope.

New water lines will be built in the capital in the future, while the existing small-diameter pipes will be replaced by larger ones. Thus, water supply by schedule will be completely abolished in the city in a few years. The problems of towns adjoining Baku will be resolved by the construction of new water and sewage systems.

Most importantly, all the work has been financed at Azerbaijan's own expense, namely from the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan. This is perhaps the most graphic example of how oil revenues translate into better living standards for the population.

"This issue is indeed very symbolic; it demonstrates Azerbaijan's successful policy once again. It also shows that our greatest wealth, our greatest asset is the citizen of Azerbaijan," said President Aliyev.

It is also worth pointing out that this project is only one in a series of projects on the government's agenda to supply the population with high-quality water. Following the construction of wastewater treatment plants in villages situated on river banks, over 300,000 Azerbaijani citizens are now provided with drinking water conforming to World Health Organization standards.

"In all our districts, this difficult and, unfortunately for us, perennial problem will be resolved. We have everything in place to achieve this - a strong political will, a sound policy, specific programmes, qualified professionals and competent local companies," the head of state pledged. "Clean drinking water, clean air, clean environment - all this means health. We must make sure that the citizens of Azerbaijan are healthy, that the world's most advanced criteria are applied to Azerbaijan, including those relating to drinking water, which is essential to human health."

Water has been a source of life for millennia, while supplying water to the population has always been a noble deed. It is not by chance that those who have built water lines in the past are remembered gratefully by many generations. The people of Baku still revere the memories of H. Tagiyev and H. Aliyev. The gift presented to the people of Azerbaijan by President Ilham Aliyev on New Year's Eve will certainly be remembered.