THERE IS NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE

The environmental situation in Baku is quite worrying. Specialists are sounding the alarm - the thick dust in the capital, the polluted atmosphere, the quality of water and noise levels are well above acceptable norms. Specifically, recent studies of the environment conducted by the national environmental monitoring department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources indicate that the concentration of dust in Baku is 1.3 times above the norm. A similar situation is observed in Sumgayit, Ganca and Mingacevir. A ministry source acknowledges that the issue of environmental protection in Baku and in Azerbaijan as a whole is becoming quite urgent. The rising standards of living enjoyed by the population inevitably lead to poorer protection of the environment. There is an annual increase in solid domestic waste, while the daily increase in the number of automobile vehicles (exhaust emissions, industrial development) necessitates consideration of the disposal of industrial wastes. So what is the current environmental situation in Baku?

Smoke. Anything burning?

Just imagine that you are in the epicentre of a caustic smokescreen. You are short of breath, your throat is sore, you feel dizzy, and your eyes are burning and watering. And this is not happening because you have passed a mouldering garbage dump. Dioxin smoke is "visiting" your home - the unwelcome guest follows you in summer and winter. In the summer, things get worse - you can't sleep at night due to the smell, because the windows are open, while in the morning the smokescreen regularly wakes you up. This caustic smoke, which smells like burning garbage, constantly envelopes the settlements of 8th Kilometre, Bakixanov and Ahmadli, as well as the Azizbayov and Qara Qarayev metro stations and the Heydar Aliyev and Darnagul highways. It is all too well-known that inhalation of burning garbage smoke leads to lung diseases and cancer.

This "global smoke" comes from a garbage dump in the Balaxani settlement. Every night garbage in the landfill is incinerated and it seems that there is nothing the authorities can do in the foreseeable future to change the situation. Meanwhile, the ministry has told Region+ that it is indeed the Balaxani landfill that is to blame for the smell and the smoke. To confirm this, employees of the ministry have conducted special monitoring, as quite a few people have complained about the situation to the ministry's hotline. "We can't take any measures yet, because the garbage is being burnt in order to clear the landfill for the construction of a garbage incineration plant in Baku." That is that. But what are people supposed to do about the dioxin smoke from the landfill? The problem has been deteriorating for five years or more. At least this is what eyewitnesses are saying, while talk about the proposed plant has been in the air for two years. Besides, the actual clearance of the landfill, if we are to believe the ministry, began in 2009. Thus, although garbage has been burnt at the landfill for several years, it has only recently acquired some sort of aim - the construction of a plant.

We recall that the decree "On streamlining the management of solid domestic waste in Baku" as part of a comprehensive action plan to improve the environmental situation in Azerbaijan, was signed by President Ilham Aliyev in August 2008. Under this decree, all activities concerned with the placement and disposal of all types of domestic waste generated in Baku were entrusted to the Tamiz Sahar (Clean City) JSC. However, the chairman of the company, Zakir Ibrahimov, has told R+ that the plant is not being built on the landfill itself but on a 10-hectare area in the Balaxani settlement near the garbage dump. "Construction will commence in August. It will be carried out by the French company CNIM S.A. and should take three years to complete. Two more years will be spent eliminating possible problems, after which CNIM S.A. will operate the project for 20 years," said Mr. Ibrahimov. At present, preparations are under way on the land earmarked for the plant - fencing and land planning. The plant will be commissioned in 2012. Ibrahimov added that garbage is not burnt at the garbage dump. "The Balaxani open burial landfill has been in operation since 1963. Its 200-hectare territory has accumulated up to 60 million cubic metres of waste. It is on the receiving end of 80 per cent of all the domestic waste generated in Baku and Absheron. The environmental situation around and beneath the landfill is critical - due to the decay and decomposition of garbage, there are case of spontaneous combustion, with the subsequent emission of greenhouse gases, contamination of ground water and spread of infectious disease." However, the situation will change only after a garbage incineration plant with an annual capacity of 500,000 tons has been built in Baku. As a result, the volume of garbage in the capital will reduce tenfold, and its weight threefold. According to the JSC, every person in Baku generates about 350 kg of garbage a year. 

Felling of trees 

According to the Azerbaijani Constitution, everyone of us is entitled "to live in a sound environment" (Article 39, Clause I) and "no-one can pose a threat or cause damage to the environment and natural resources above the limits established by law" (Clause III). However, certain government officials have long been transgressing this limit, by selling plots of land set aside for trees, parks and gardens. Such areas are used for the construction of high-rise apartment buildings, furniture shops, restaurants and other entertainment facilities. The construction boom in Baku has led to a situation in which plants cover just 1-2 per cent of the Absheron Peninsula, whereas in 1967, according to the Ministry of Ecology, they covered 20 per cent. The gene pool of Baku city is being barbarically destroyed. 

We recall that the critical situation surrounding the felling of trees in the capital was highlighted by President Ilham Aliyev at a government meeting on the results of the first half of 2009. The head of state banned the felling of trees for the construction of new buildings and ordered that 3 million saplings be planted in and around Baku. "I am tasking the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the Baku City Executive Authority to prepare a plan of proposals and to approve the environmental map. An action plan must be developed to implement the programme," the president stressed. 

At the same time, the head of state indicated that he has been in regular receipt of information that, in some cases, trees are felled in Baku to make way for the construction of different facilities. "I am issuing my last warning to local executive authorities, businessmen and public officers abusing their powers to stop this. I am banning the felling of trees in Baku and in Azerbaijan as a whole," Aliyev added. "If I find out that any businessman, public officer or anyone else is felling trees to build a mansion, the buildings erected will be knocked down the next morning, while those guilty will be punished," the president stressed.

The Ministry of Ecology maintains that the Nizami district of Baku holds the record for the illegal felling of trees, while the Xatai district is next. The ministry said that, in addition to planned control, it had conducted specialized monitoring after the presidential decree and the first findings have already been sent to the Cabinet of Ministers. A separate report has been submitted on the Nizami and Xatai districts of Baku, where felling has been particularly rampant. The ministry believes that it is necessary to increase the fines for felling trees - from 3,000 to 4,000 manats per tree.

Cement dust, sand, smoke, exhaust gases, noise  

If we look at Baku from the heights of the capital's Upland Park, we can, at almost any time of day, see the clouds of sand, burning, cement dust and exhaust gases which are produced by bulldozers and concrete mixers. This is the very problem of accumulating dust occasionally reported by the Ministry of Ecology. R+ has been informed by the ministry's press-service that official statistics indicates that the above factors, which should also include breaches of the noise environment - the honking of cars, small and large buses, construction noise and various sound alarms - are affecting the health and nervous systems of the population. There are currently about 300,000 cars in Baku and their exhaust gases contain lead and other products of combustion. Thus, 60-70 per cent of environmental pollution in Baku is contributed by transport vehicles, and about 40 per cent by industrial enterprises. 

The ministry sees a solution to the said problems in raising fines for breaches of environmental norms. It is also necessary to prohibit heavy-duty trucks from entering the city. The quality of motor fuel used in Azerbaijan plays quite an important role here. The accepted fuel standard in the West is 2-4. The Euro-2 standard, which regulates the concentration of hazardous substances in exhaust gases, was introduced in 1996 and was replaced by Euro-3 three years later, Euro-4 was introduced in 2005, and EU countries are now discussing transition to Euro-5. All this is happening at legislative level. The introduction of these standards in Azerbaijan will require an upgrade of the country's oil refineries.

Experts believe that, in order to improve the situation, it is necessary to take comprehensive measures, starting with the system of collection, removal and disposal of domestic waste, the introduction of strict norms in the transport system up, and up to the cleaning of Baku bay, the improvement of the quality of water and the planting of trees. Social and educational activities are expected to play an important part in this campaign. It is necessary to improve public awareness through different educational activities, perhaps even introducing environmental disciplines into universities, as was done by the Civil Engineering University in 1999. A knowledge of natural laws and the basics of ecology would enhance the professionalism of architects and builders and help diminish the environmental impact of buildings and facilities. Construction sites should fit harmoniously into the surrounding environment; this will help develop natural systems and improve the quality of life in the city.