A BOMB WITH A SHORT FUSE

It is no secret that the Absheron peninsula is literally covered in mini salt lakes, nor that this is the cause of a whole set of ecological problems today. It has already been proven that neither cleaning up the Absheron lakes nor drying them out produces the desired result and is a waste of time, money and effort. All this makes Azerbaijani researchers seriously concerned about the critical ecological situation on the Absheron peninsula, one of the reasons for which is the presence in significant quantities of industrial water.

Oil fields have been worked on the Absheron peninsula for 150 years and, correspondingly, oil and gas have been extracted. In tandem, tonnes of oil-well water have been dumped on the ground of Absheron and have turned into those mini salt lakes of industrial water, polluting the soil and ground waters. Scientists say that at one time there were just five or six natural lakes on Absheron, of which the biggest are Boyuk Shor, Masazir and Ganly Gol. It is time to get rid of the man-made lakes of industrial water and as soon as possible. And this has to provide the greatest benefit to the state. The Minerals Institute, which is part of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources' National Geological Research Service, is working on this problem at the moment as part of the Study of the Geological State of Lakes and Reservoirs in the Absheron-Gobustan Region, Preparation for their Comprehensive Use and a Plan for their Protection.

The research work led by renowned Azerbaijani geologist, Vasif Khalilzade, deputy director of the Minerals Institute, is almost complete. The results will be presented very soon at a session of the Ecology Ministry's Scientific and Technical Council. However, the scientist told Region Plus that the technology outlined in the project to utilise the mini-lakes that appeared as a consequence of oil extraction should be developed and implemented now before it is too late.

Twelve tonnes of gold slipping away

Khalilzade said that Absheron's artificial lakes have a high chemical content. Could they be seen as a new type or additional source of raw minerals? This was the main question which the geologist tried to answer in his work. The selection of chemical components is impressive: sodium chloride, iodine, bromide, boron, soda, lithium, strontium. What if these were extracted from the water?

The first year of research showed that the oil-well water is not suitable for industry. If it is to be used in production the water needs to have a consistent composition, but this water varies. Atmospheric precipitation and waste dumped by different enterprises mean that the water is not consistent in its chemical composition. 

"But we went further in our research and are today firmly convinced that the components of this water can present great interest in terms of their suitability for industry, their integrity and consistency. This is a raw material that can be utilised."

There are various ways to collect and process this water. Alongside sodium chloride its most valuable part is calcified soda and boron. The climatic conditions of Absheron allow this water to collect in open reservoirs. Under the open sky the water evaporates naturally and what is left behind is the aforementioned elements concentrated in the residue. Khalilzade says that nature, the sun and wind, can increase tenfold the concentration of these elements.

Processing of oil-well water is advantageous from all points of view. First, it means the acquisition of products that are in demand today both in Azerbaijan and on the world market. For example, we import practically all our salt at present and get a tiny amount from Masazir Lake. Other elements contained in this water are also imported into Azerbaijan. The opportunity to utilise these waters would to a certain extent stop the further pollution of the environment. The water that is pumped out of wells together with oil would not be dumped onto the ground and the mini-lakes would gradually start to dry up. Finally, the introduction of this technology would allow the creation of long-term jobs in the enterprises processing oil-well water.

"Our conclusion is that the relevant agencies should rapidly allocate funds for the development of technology in line with this plan. We can take just two components as an example - soda and boron. I have done the calculations. It turns out that in money terms no fewer than 120 million dollars which could have been extracted from this water are being dumped with it into the atmosphere and ground every year, polluting them. And if the value of other components that could be supplied to world markets is added, then this sum would more than double. In gold terms almost 12 tonnes of gold are leaking away from us and polluting the environment," the scientist said.

Similar ideas were heard in Azerbaijan back in 1939 and in the 1970s and 80s. But for some reason they were not developed. Today our country is a sovereign state, which is obliged to be thrifty with its wealth, the scientist said.

Absheron's eco-crisis

During the process of developing ideas to utilise oil-well water as raw minerals, other issues came to the surface. If in the next 10 years drastic solutions to the ecological problems of the Absheron peninsula are not implemented, then future generations could be under threat. It emerged that as of today there are over 250 lakes concentrated on the peninsula, while the peninsula itself is hardly large. If another 250 minor reservoirs are added, and salt marshes and other formations, it makes over 800 reservoirs of industrial water concentrated here. How were they created?

"Tens of thousands of wells have been drilled during the years of oil extraction in Azerbaijan. However, over time when the deposits are in the final stage of exploitation, the amount of water in them alongside the oil increases sharply. The well produces pure oil only in the initial stages, later the oil is accompanied by water. And the longer a deposit is worked, the more oil there is. According to some figures, today there is 90 and more per cent water in some of Absheron's oil-bearing areas and wells, i.e. for every tonne of oil around 10 tonnes of water are extracted. Annually that makes hundreds of millions of cubic metres of water and a very insignificant amount is purified and used to meet the needs of oil workers. Most of the water has been dumped onto the ground for many years, which as a result has collected and lowered the land surface. Artificial reservoirs are created deliberately at some wells," the scientist explained.

If you imagine an underground map of Absheron, then the following picture emerges: a web of interconnected underground water channels fed by mini-lakes on the surface. Every oil well produces waste water which is linked by the water channels with all the reservoirs of the Absheron peninsula. Water flows from the small channels to the medium-sized ones and from the medium-sized channels to the main channels. As a result, a significant part of the Absheron peninsula is polluted with oil-well water containing 300 and more grams of salts per litre. This is real brine that gets into the natural lakes too. As of today all of Absheron's natural lakes have lost their importance, having turned into a breeding ground for different chemical elements. Their metabolism has changed, as has their composition and their oxygen components. There are already no living organisms in these lakes. And it is not worth waiting for nature to clean itself when pollution is occurring at such a rate. On the contrary, the situation is getting worse. The many industrial enterprises are also making their contribution to the pollution of Absheron's land and water.

"Absheron is the driest part of Azerbaijan, but 80 per cent of its industrial potential and almost 40 per cent of its population are concentrated here. People need a water supply. In this respect five reservoirs of approximately 30 cubic metres of water are brought to the Absheron megapolis as of today, according to the project's figures. But another problem arises here. Research carried out by major specialists and specialist organisations has shown that almost half of these 30 cubic metres of water is lost in the water mains and the city's distribution system. The water leaks away, absorbing the ground waters, oil-well water and industrial and faecal water too. The latter is a result of leaks from the sewage system and the complete lack of a sewage system in the Baku and Sumgait suburbs. At one time ground waters were the main source of drinking water on Absheron. I can give a basic example. The drinking water that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers pumped out at their dachas is polluted. While it used to be possible to drink it fresh, I don't recommend it today. The underground waters of Absheron, that were once spring waters, are unfortunately not fit for drinking," Khalilzade said.

What will be the result of the increase in the level of ground waters? Low-lying ground is filling up, salt marshes and bogs are forming. The foundations of construction sites and buildings are enveloped in aggressive, polluted waters. And the unplanned, chaotic construction of high-rise buildings under way in Baku is a crime, the scientist said. Absheron is unique in terms of seismology and geography. Seismic activity here reaches nine on the Richter scale, not to mention mud slides. The strata of Absheron have a clay and sand base. And when it is touched by water, clay begins to swell and thin out. The slightest tectonic pressure can lead to a serious disaster. A building is enormously heavy. Underneath every building forms a cup-shaped hole. As a result of 150 years of oil extraction the ground is empty. If during this period more than a billion tonnes of oil and gas have been extracted on Absheron, then we can only guess how much water has been extracted. Sands are eroded as oil and water are extracted. The ground cavities are gradually sinking a few millimetres a year. In some places the sinking of the ground over 20 to 30 years can be measured in metres. If the pressure from tall buildings is added to this, then one can imagine what might happen in the near future.

According to Khalilzade's figures, the central part of Absheron and its oil-bearing zones are in a critical condition today. The northern part of the peninsula is the best off. The ring is holding firm while its middle, which includes Baku, is sinking. He said that Azerbaijani scientists are sounding the alarm. It is impossible to ignore that the ground is sinking.

Way out of the crisis

This is why Vasif Khalilzade is suggesting that the government should introduce as soon as possible the technology to utilise oil waters which is presented in his research.

"Drying up the lakes with the technology that we are using is pointless. At one time huge sums were spent on drying Ganly Gol, but in two years' time the lake had returned. It is impossible to stop precipitation, in this zone sewage water constantly leaks and ground water comes to the surface. So in order to dry out the lake all its sources of water must be completely cut off. But not simply cut off, a drainage system needs to be created around the lake, which will gather the surface and ground waters. This is a complex hydro-technical structure. Using the technology we have outlined will lead nature to cleanse itself. This will take years. Fish will be restored too."

Khalilzade said that this project should be of great interest not only to the Ecology Ministry but also to the Fuel and Energy and Economic Development ministries. 

"The depths of our earth have been abandoned. In the Soviet period we planned in sectors and the state implemented this plan. Today no-one is interested unless a businessman invests. The Ecology Ministry is funded purely from the budget and does not have the relevant technical and material capacity. And we don't make any profit."

Khalilzade also thinks that this project should be presented to the Azerbaijani State Investment Company (AIC), which was set up in order to encourage investment in the development of the non-oil sector and in renewing the material and technical base of enterprises in this sphere. "As this is a matter of state importance no foreign businessman will help us in this. The participation of the AIC would be a state guarantee that would allow local businessmen to take an interest in these projects. It would even be possible to announce a tender. It would help the creation of new jobs and the state itself would receive immense profit."

So, the choice is ours. Scientists have done their job and made their recommendations. Now there remains the small amount of work that the government has to do quickly, small that is in comparison with the scale of the impending disaster. We want our future generation too to appreciate the uniqueness of the Absheron peninsula. It would be a crime not to listen to the conclusions of scientists who have with full justification today taken on the responsibility of saying that the Absheron megapolis is in danger.