BAKU — September 2, 2025.
Azerbaijan’s underground freshwater reserves have dropped by one-fifth in recent years, falling from 10 billion cubic meters to about 8 billion, officials warned at a UN-backed youth climate conference in Baku.
Rafiq Verdiyev, head of the State Water Resources Control Service, told participants at the closing panel of LCOY Azerbaijan 2025 that the country’s groundwater reserves now stand at 8.4 billion cubic meters.
He added that total renewable freshwater resources amount to 26.2 billion cubic meters, but as much as 25 percent of inflows from natural sources are lost.
Kura River inflows shrinking
Verdiyev also highlighted the long-term decline of Azerbaijan’s main river, the Kura. Over the past 34 years, inflows have fallen by 9 percent, with the sharpest drop — 19 percent — occurring during the summer months.
Annual reductions are most evident downstream from the Mingachevir reservoir, where flow has decreased by 28 percent.
Officials and climate experts at the conference said the figures underscore the urgency of modernizing water management and adapting to the region’s changing climate.
Report.az
