“One of the most serious problems facing the Caspian is its shallowing. The decline in the water level of the Caspian Sea has been ongoing for many years. Regrettably, this process has accelerated noticeably in recent times, and the situation continues to deteriorate. A substantial reduction in the sea’s surface area is being observed. The total area of the sea surface has already decreased by more than 20,000 square kilometers,” President Ilham Aliyev said as he addressed the Caspian Environmental Summit in Turkmenbashi.

Axar.az informs that the head of state emphasized that if the current trend continued, the consequences could be catastrophic. He noted that the problem of shallowing had implications beyond the environment.

“The decline in sea level directly affects the interests of our states, impacting the lives of people in coastal areas, the economy and transport. We see how the shoreline is receding, the ecosystem is changing, and operational difficulties are arising for ports and other coastal infrastructure facilities. As a result of the decline in the Caspian Sea level, nearly 30,000 hectares of dry land have formed in the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian alone,” the Azerbaijani leader added.