Baku, March 20, AZERTAC

The 8th World Water Forum which is the world’s biggest water-related event organized by the World Water Council (WWC) kicked off in Brazil.

The Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay took part in the official opening ceremony of the Forum alongside with the President of Brazil Michel Temer, Heads of States, including Prince Albert of Monaco, and Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan.

Within the framework of the Forum Audrey Azoulay talked about necessity of having new solutions in managing water resources to meet emerging challenges to water security caused by population growth and climate change.

During the five-day sessions, more than ten thousand participants from 160 countries will join the panels and discussions.

The President of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) which is an international organization in general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Umud Mirzayev and Assistant to the IEPF President Anastasia Lavrina from Azerbaijan also attend the event.

IEPF team scheduled to inform participants about ecological and environmental catastrophe in the Nagorno-Karabakh Sarsang water reservoir that is currently under occupation of the Armenian armed forces, which leads to a water supply problem in the frontline regions of Azerbaijan.

It will be mentioned that as a result of the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, melioration and water management systems were destroyed and the economy, as well as ecological balance of the region was disrupted. Shutting off and inadequate use of water that flows from Sarsang water reservoir which was built during the Soviet times in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan hinders people living in the frontline regions of Azerbaijan to irrigate their plants. This also means that almost 500 thousand people are forced to live without water.

Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe adopted resolution 2085 on “Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water” in which it is demanded from Armenia to stop its environmental aggression towards Azerbaijan, but unfortunately, it is not fulfilled by official Yerevan.

The IEPF aims to draw world communities’ attention to the ongoing conflicts in the Caucasus, Middle East, Africa and their destructive results including causing water shortage and disrupting eco-system of the region. If it is not taken immediate action and measures against aggressors the environmental disasters will deepen the existing catastrophic situation.

Meanwhile, on March 22, date on which is celebrated the World Water Day, there will be a special session to celebrate the date.