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Expert: Public catering establishments in Agsu pass must be urgently closed

04 May 2010 13:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva â€“ APA. 71 landslides occurred in Azerbaijan last year. 29 landslides were recorded within the first four months of last year. 110 landslides were recorded in Azerbaijan within the four months of this year (3.8 more compared with last year). These landslides occurred as a result of the activation of the current landslide areas, chief of Ecology and Natural Resources Ministryâ€™s party studying hydrogeological, engineering geological and hydrogen geological processes, candidate of geological-mineralogical sciences Shaig Niftiyev told APA.

According to Niftiyev, the hotline received information about 11 landslides in the country yesterday and today.
â€œActiveness is observed in the landslides in the mountainous areas and foothills. The recent observations revealed 178 zones of landslide in the country. Monitoring and geological work was done once in these areas. The majority of them are stabilized areas. But this stabilization does not mean that there will not be landslide in this area. There is periodical activation in the landslide processes,â€ he said.
Shaig Niftiyev said Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry conducts monitoring in the landslide areas four times a month, monthly bulletins are made and these bulletins are sent to the related bodies on the last day of every month.
â€œThe great majority of the landslides occur along the foot of the Great Caucasus and Mountainous Talish. A landslide occurred on the 32km of Goranboy-Agjakend highway in Ashagi Agjakend village. Though it was a local area, the landslide caused serious damage. A local landslide in Gariblar village of Tovuz region killed one. The landslide occurred in alunite production field in Dashkesan last February. When we visited the site we made prognosis that the landslide would continue in Altundagh settlement too. Mollahasanli village of Dashkesan also suffered from the disaster. It has been a landslide area since 1990s. The landslide intensified there last year and caused serious damages this year too. Yesterday we were informed that the landslide area intensified againâ€.

Experts said the landslide areas activated this year due increase of atmospheric condensation. â€œ25-sm snow cover activated the landslide zone in Guba region. Torrential rains also intensify its threatâ€.

Niftiyev said Agsu slope was extended during the reconstruction of passway. â€œWe saw 41 public catering places in Agsu pass and if every cafÃ© uses 300 l water a day, daily volume of sewerage waters will be enough for landslide in the slope. Anthropogenic effect, that is human factor has to be limited in this slope and public catering establishments must be urgently closed. Otherwise, it will be difficult to guard the road in Agsu passâ€. Expert said that last complied information on Aghsu pass has been sent to Cabinet of Ministers: â€œIt was noted in the letter addressed to us and Ministry of Transport of Azerbaijan to create working group due to the guard of Aghsu pass and make plan of measures. There are landslips in 21 areas of the pass. This year, 21 landslips from 110 recorded landslips are on Agsu pass, 11 on Ismayilli-Mughanli road and 11 on Gonagkand road. If guard measures arenâ€™t taken, then the situation on Agsu pass will become worse. Now, road on 146th, 147th and 153rd kilometers has so narrowed that one car move there hardly. And such situation is on the 10 and 11 kilometers of Ismayilli-Mughanli road. The movement of one vehicle is dangerous there as a result of bilateral landslip. But maintaining works are being conducted without any geological feasibility. There must be done exact investigation for guard of that road. May be there will occur need to built an alternative road for Agsu passâ€.

If people in areas inclined to landslip observe any crack or landslip, then they have to inform related bodies about it. Niftiyev said that ecological enlightenment of Azerbaijani people is very weak: â€œWe have to know that the damage we inflict toward the nature will return to us. Ploughed fields in foothill villages are situated on foothill slopes. Resistance of slopes mustnâ€™t be violated during sowing, buildings in the villages. They violate this resistance without any agreement, conduct buildings and then there occur problems. Culprits of the landslip occurred in Garibli village of Azerbaijanâ€™s Tovuz region were residents themselves. They cleaved the slope and built a house there. And the width of the mass there possible to run is 16 meters. We say it in every village. There have to be planted trees on slopes. Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan realize the planting of large tracts of forest through the entire country, but common people must join this work too. Other problem is the non-existence sewerage system in villages. Waste waters used by village residents are shed to slopes. And it speeds up the dampness of the slopeâ€.