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World Bank: Azerbaijan takes steps to use water resources efficiently

01 October 2025 12:42 (UTC +04:00)

The fact that a large portion of Azerbaijan’s water resources depends on neighboring countries brings the necessity of regional cooperation to the forefront, said the Country Manager for the World Bank in Azerbaijan, Stefanie Stallmeister, during a panel discussion on the third day of Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW2025), APA-Economics reports.

She noted that as the impacts of climate change are felt more strongly in the region, cross-border water cooperation and basin-based management become increasingly important.

“The main point here is what Azerbaijan can do. The most important issue is to ensure more efficient and productive use of existing water resources. Azerbaijan is already taking certain steps in this direction. Among the measures implemented under the leadership of the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA), the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the modernization of the irrigation system comes first. This is extremely important in terms of using the available water without losses.

The second direction is climate-smart agriculture. Azerbaijan is already taking some actions in this area, but considering the urgency of the situation, more measures need to be taken. For example, the introduction of more drought-resistant or salt-tolerant crop varieties can play a decisive role in addressing these issues.”

Stallmeister also emphasized that global cooperation is extremely important: “Because in the process of developing these seeds and technologies, we can benefit from international experience. Institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank can provide significant support in the exchange of this knowledge and in building partnerships. This way, we can apply existing experiences without having to reinvent everything from scratch.”