THE DROWNED SEA

R+ magazine raises this problem every year in the hope that the relevant structures will listen to us and draw the necessary and - more importantly - successful conclusions. Baku's beaches are in an unhealthy state and if we are being honest, it is surprising and fortunate that no-one has yet been poisoned and there have been no epidemics. Yes, we fully agree that holidaymakers should keep things clean and take their rubbish home! And yes, we have absolutely no problem with companies carrying out their business in the coastal region. But in the first case, no-one has done anything about the work of the public utility services which clearly has nothing whatever to do with Abseron's public (state-owned) beaches. As for the second case, any business, including beach-based, has to be honest.

Everywhere the eye can see

…there are piles of rubbish. Having said all that, let's point out once again that according to decision No 74 of the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers it is the local authorities' job to clear up the beaches on the Abseron Peninsula. And according to the annual instruction of the Baku authorities "On the organization of summer recreation of the population on the beaches of Baku", the authorities of Sabayil, Xazar, Qaradag, Sabuncu and Suraxani districts are charged with taking measures to carry out this work. But all these directives have remained on paper. And the result of this failure to act has been stagnation, negligence and indifference. Many beaches are the responsibility of the local authorities which, clearly, hope that first the wind will sweep up the rubbish and then blow it into the sea where it will disappear for ever. But, as we know, not all rubbish vanishes in water but is blown up from the sand into the sea. A lot of it becomes a "local landmark" - a rubbish heap and a source of ecological pollution. We all know the picture - the sea, the shore, rows of holidaymakers and rows of rubbish.

It remains only to be amazed how, with all the supervisory measures reported by the waste handling services, our beaches still manage to be dirty. Because if you believe what you read, the coastal area is always supposed to "sparkle and shine". Look at all the organizations that operate on Baku's beaches! The Republican Hygiene and Epidemiology Centre of the Health Ministry, the Public Safety Department of the Interior Ministry and the Department for Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. They all draw up reports and documents about infringements of the regulations on the transportation of industrial and household waste which has not been destroyed in line with the requirements of environmental protection.

And whereas private beaches are cleared of rubbish after a fashion, public beaches, with restricted access to them, are put at the mercy of God and the local government bodies.

Pay as you, whatever…

There are fewer and fewer free beaches where ordinary people can go. Nearly all the beaches in Abseron are fenced off or inaccessible to most people. Virtually the whole of the Abseron coastline is studded with countless barriers, pipes and old tyres imbedded in the sand.

Every year pseudo-beach businessmen fence off new areas and charge an entry fee. However, we have written on many occasions that worldwide access to seas, lakes, oceans and rivers is unimpaired and free of charge and that the state ensures the safety and cleanliness of all the beaches. Take, for example, Spain: there, by law, a citizen of the country has the right to walk along the sea coast from one end of the country to the other. It is the same in Australia - there are a lot of beaches, hotels and places of entertainment there but all the beaches are accessible for everyone. There are no pay beaches at all. Even if there is a cafe or a water park near the ocean entry is always free, although you can't park on the beach. It is only the infrastructure that is chargeable.

And our laws require the same approach. On the beaches of Baku we are witnessing a disregard of the law and gross violation of the rights of holidaymakers. And the head of the press service of the Department of Trade and Services of the Baku Executive Services, Aliabbas Bagirov, says every time: "I tell you quite categorically that entry to all of Baku's beaches is free of charge! As you know, this law has operated on the basis of an instruction of the head of the Baku government since 2011. At the same time, it applies not just to state-run beaches. Payment may be incurred only for certain services provided on the beaches, for example the use of loungers, parasols, changing facilities, showers and other services. But levying a charge to enter a beach is forbidden and such instances will be treated as an infringement of the law." But things aren't moving. Beaches continue to remain fee-paying and unkempt, not to mention the sorry state of the sea water. Clearly, more drastic measures must be taken otherwise we shall never be able to impose order on our beaches. 

"Honest business"

In a conversation with R+ the head of the Sustainable Development Research Centre, Nariman Agayev, said the situation with regard to Baku's beaches could be described as outrageous and contrary to the avowed policy of the state for the development of tourism. At this rate Baku is hardly likely to soon become a resort city with a beautiful beach coastline with a huge tourist potential and Baku's beaches will have no chance of acquiring a quality certificate such as "Blue Flag". This is a successful worldwide concept whereby private foundations introduce their own ratings and encourage quality improvement on their country's beaches. These are where the tourists (and therefore tourist companies) aim for when selecting their holiday centres. "Blue Flag" is a term well known to all tourists who spend their holidays at European resorts. The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has awarded them every year as a certificate of quality. Sixty-three countries take part in the programme, but only 49 end up on the list of award winners. The award is presented based on the results of tests of the cleanliness of the sand and the water, taking into account the infrastructure of the beaches, the safety of bathers and visitors, nature protection in the coastal area and so on. There are 31 criteria in all. Spain's beaches have won this competition for many years. Of course, all the facilities on the beach should be removed and this can be done instantly if desired. But businessmen may conduct business in open areas by selling the required beach equipment," Agayev believes.

Today, there is practically no beach on the Abseron Peninsula that gives an unobstructed sea view - everywhere there are rock walls and seedy-looking shelters. However, according to the regulations, the tenants must clean the beach area before the start of the summer season and put out litter bins, set up changing rooms, carry out diving inspections, clear up the sea-bed in the beach area and arrange orange-coloured buoys in the bathing areas 25-30 metres apart and up to 25m from areas with a depth of 1.3m.

Beach operators must also make sure there are enough loungers, tents, sun parasols, hot-water showers, toilets, boiled-water containers and, where there are water pipes, drinking water fountains. Toilets must be equipped according to the appropriate hygienic requirements and also cleaned regularly.

The lack of litter bins on many beaches leads to waste clogging up the coast line. By law beach owners must sign a contract with the council to remove household and other waste, but many prefer not to do so. And the hygiene conditions in the toilets are quite simply revolting. So where's this "honest business"?

There are many questions to be asked about Azerbaijan's beach problem and the relevant organizations have an answer for all of them. But the situation basically hasn't changed. It's just a shame that year on year we are losing a lot of profit which could be got from the flow of foreign tourists coming to spend their holidays on Baku's beaches. Moreover, according to Agayev, Baku's beaches do not comply with the constitutional right of Azerbaijanis to have a good and safe holiday.

It's high time we realized that Azerbaijan's beaches are a huge tourist potential for the country. This is what we now have to do: first, take down all the obstructions that are preventing people from seeing the sea and thereby improve the panorama of the coastline, and also review the concept of fee-paying beaches by copying the experience of other countries; second, clean up the coastline of the beaches and third, improve the state of the water. It is not just the companies, but each one of us should look carefully at this. Surely we don't have to wait for instructions from above to do this?