President Ilham Aliyev: “Baku will become a city of clean lakes”
27/10/2014 17:01
“We will have Boyukshor promenade and beautiful landscape will be created. Baku today is a city of parks. And Baku will soon be a city of clean lakes. Today I set this objective and believe that we should start this work soon.” It was said by the president of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development in the first quarter of 2014 and objectives for the future held on Aprel 13. The Head of the State highlighted that the program on cleaning the lakes existing in Baku is about to begin: “I have received a list of these lakes. There are nine lakes on it. But they can hardly be called lakes, because a lake is a natural basin with clean water, while these lakes are an environmental disaster. Sewage, effluents contaminated with oil and produced water were discharged to these lakes for years. These lakes represent an environmental disaster in the city, right in the city center. We can no longer tolerate this situation. Therefore, all instructions on the subject have already been issued. As much money as necessary will be allocated for this purpose. We will transform these sewage ponds into clear lakes. In truth, we have already started it. We have already signed contracts with foreign companies experienced in this field. We have started with the most environmentally and technically challenging project. It is a project on cleaning Boyukshor Lake. Boyukshor covers an area of 11,000 square kilometers. So it is more than a thousand hectares. Now we are dividing Boyukshor Lake into two parts. A dam will be built on it. This dam will also serve as a highway. We are doing this both in the interests of transport and to divide cleaning work into stages. At the first stage, the part of the lake located near the Olympic Stadium under construction will be cleared. This area covers 300 hectares. There will be clean and clear water there. A beautiful boulevard will be built around the lake. We have the seaside boulevard and we will soon have the Boyukshor boulevard. Some wonderful landscaping will be carried out, trees and shrubs planted; there will be recreation areas and a clean lake.” The President stated that the rest of the lake will be cleaned in the second: “Thus, we will create a beautiful recreation and healthy area in our city. As I have noted, in a few years Baku will become a city of clean and beautiful lakes. However, there is a lot to do, as we are talking about nine lakes. But we should try to complete the job in the next five to six years. All of these works, of course, should be reflected in the state budget. Financial resources, of course, will be provided because the entire work should be carried out at the highest level.”
