Mukhtar Babayev: UN can help clean up Okhchuchay river

The UN can assist in the issue of cleaning the water resources of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan from pollution, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev told reporters.

"We are discussing the problem of the Okhchuchay River both globally and with local UN representatives. We are trying at the first stage to prevent further pollution of the Okhchuchay River and clean up the already polluted territories. The UN can help us in this by sharing its best experience. This is what we focus on in our discussions," Babayev said.

The transboundary river Okhchuchay is regularly polluted by Armenia. According to monitoring, the content of heavy metals and other chemicals in the waters of Okhchuchay is ten times as high as the norm.

Severe pollution of the river poses a serious threat to the local population, bioresources, and ecosystems of the Araz and Kur rivers and the Caspian Sea.