Azerbaijani official: Floods occurred in 17 mountain rivers in April

On April 16, Azerbaijan, including the capital city of Baku, received 3 months' rainfall in one day, causing flash floods and mudslides in 17 mountain rivers, Presidential Representative on Climate Issues Mukhtar Babayev said at the 4th Agribusiness Development Forum held in Baku, Report informs.

"Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change, as it is directly linked to the climate. In recent years, the negative effects of these changes have created serious challenges. Increasing droughts, soil salinization and extreme weather events are reducing productivity, seriously affecting global food security. The world is now experiencing more intense heat waves, powerful storms and devastating floods. If in the 1970s there were about 100 disasters per year, today this figure has increased to 400. This threatens food security and weakens the sustainability of agriculture," Babayev said.

Babayev added that according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), disasters in the last 30 years have caused approximately $3.8 trillion worth of damage to agriculture, or an average of $123 billion annually, or 5% of the annual global agricultural GDP.