Ilham Aliyev: the area of the Caspian Sea has shrunk by more than 20,000 square kilometers

The shallowing of the Caspian Sea has noticeably accelerated recently, and the area of the sea surface has already decreased by more than 20,000 square kilometers.

This was stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the Caspian Environmental Summit in Turkmenbashi.

"The decline in the level of the Caspian Sea has been continuing for many years. Unfortunately, this process has noticeably accelerated recently, and the situation continues to worsen. A significant reduction of the water area is being observed: the total area of the sea surface has already decreased by more than 20,000 square kilometers," Aliyev said.

If the current trend persists, the consequences "could be catastrophic," the president of Azerbaijan added. According to him, the problem of shallowing affects not only the environment, but also the economy, transportation, and the lives of people in coastal areas. "We see how the coastline is receding, the ecosystem is changing, and problems are arising in the operation of ports and other coastal infrastructure facilities," the president noted.

Ilham Aliyev specified that in the Azerbaijani part of the Caspian alone, about 30,000 hectares of land have been formed as a result of the decline in the sea level.

Source: TASS