Azerbaijan's water resources could plummet by 40-50% if Paris Agreement not met

If the Paris Agreement on climate is not adhered to and temperatures rise by 4-5 degrees, Azerbaijan's water resources could decrease by 40-50% by the end of the century, Rafig Verdiyev, an official of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, said at the event titled "The Role of Water Management Systems in Climate-Resilient Agriculture: COP29 Roundtable Discussions," Report informs.

According to Verdiyev, if the agreement is followed, this figure is expected to be around 20-25%. "Anyway we must be prepared from today to avoid facing these problems in the future," Verdiyev stressed. He noted that in drought years, water levels can be as low as 40-50% of the annual norm, leading to severe water shortages. "For this reason, we must prepare our infrastructure now," he added.

Verdiyev believes that the implementation of an early warning system will significantly improve water resources management and other areas. "This will also allow institutions to reduce water-related incidents in their respective fields," he said.

The official recalled that last year, the Situation Center began operating in the administrative building of the National Hydrometeorological Service, which is an initial step within the framework of the early warning system creation project. "Recently, the Green Climate Fund has completed the review phase of the ministry's early warning system project, with an allocation of $30 million in funding. The project has already been submitted for approval," Verdiyev revealed.