Armenian terrorism Sarsang reservoir (view from the village of Heyvali) 44 www.irs-az.com 46, WINTER 2020 Yegana BAKHSHIYEVA Armenia’s threats and provocations against water resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan www.irs-az.com 45 Armenian terrorism Hakari river one of the concepts in ecological science, At the same time, the unconstructive approach environmental terror is deliberate damage demonstrated by international organizations to the Ar- As caused by a particular country or person to menian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict serves the flora and fauna of another country and destruction to worsen the situation in the region. Armenia is pro- of its natural resources. For more than 30 years, the Re- longing the settlement of the conflict under unfounded public of Azerbaijan has been suffering from environ- pretexts, taking advantage of the dual position of the mental terrorism committed by its western neighbour OSCE Minsk Group, which serves to preserve the con- Armenia. At present, Armenia’s terrorist war against flict. With the support of its foreign patrons, Yerevan Azerbaijan is being waged in various ways. This terror- is delaying the conclusion of any agreement with the ist policy pursued by Armenia against Azerbaijan has countries of the region on the management, use, pro- reached the level of a kind of cyberterrorism, cover- tection of transboundary water resources and determi- ing ideological, scientific, cultural, spiritual and social nation of water quotas, claiming that its country is the spheres. The pollution of rivers coming from the terri- legal successor of the Armenian SSR and continuing tory of Armenia and forming sources of drinking water to rely upon the water sharing agreements the USSR in Azerbaijan with chemical, biological and other radio- signed with Turkey in 1924 and with Iran in 1957. active waste has become sustainable. This factor deeply Three fourths of the territory of Azerbaijan is located undermines the right of the regional population to live in the lower reaches of the Kura River basin. Every year, in safety. more than 350 million cubic metres of water are chemi- In general, the aspects of the Armenian-Azerbaijani cally and biologically polluted in Armenia and dis- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict related to water resources, charged into the Kura River basin. As a result, the micro- as well as the use of fresh water sources and hydrau- flora and microfauna in the territory of Azerbaijan along lic facilities by the enemy state in committing acts of 43 km of the Aras River were completely destroyed. As hydro terrorism, hydro sabotage and environmental a result of the direct impact of Armenia’s environmental sabotage have not been sufficiently studied. Armenia’s terrorism policy, the level of water pollution in the Aras policy of environmental terrorism against Azerbaijan is River is many times higher than the norm. The acidity of very different in terms of its nature and implementation the river decreased to pH 2.4 and the microflora fell by mechanisms. 180-200 times. At the same time, valuable fish species 46 www.irs-az.com 46, WINTER 2020 went extinct in the Aras River. The number of previously luted by chemical waste waters (without neutralization) recorded fish species fell from 21 to 16 in 10-15 years (5, of the Gajaran copper-molybdenum and the Kafan cop- pp. 15-29). per ore processing plants and biologically polluted wa- Organic pollutants that are naturally neutralized and ters of the cities of Kafan and Gajaran (including villages, detected in the Aras River are many times higher than hospitals, agricultural facilities) in Armenia. This turned the norm. The amount of phenols in the water in this the river basin into a “Dead Zone” (3, pp. 87-98). 43 km area is 220-1,160 times, heavy metal salts (copper, mo- of the riverbed in Azerbaijan and 455 square kilometres lybdenum, etc.) 36-48 times, nitrogen-phosphorus salts of the catchment area are constantly being polluted. As 26-34 times, chlorides 28 times, and hydrocarbons of pe- a result, the microflora and fauna in the river water have troleum origin is 73-113 times higher than the norm. At been destroyed, and the process of self-purification has the same time, high-temperature industrial wastewater stopped (9). has a negative impact on the temperature and gas re- The main reason for the pollution of the Agstafachay, gime of the river. The results of the analysis of samples another transborder river and the right tributary of the taken from the bottom of the river show that the amount Kura River, is the discharge of one million cubic metres of heavy metals in the Aras River is much higher than of waste a year from the Armenian towns of Ijevan and the norm. The amount of toxic substances in the water is Dilijan. As a result, the amount of phenols in the river 50% higher than the norm. For this reason, the pollution exceeded the norm by 35-45 times. The reservoir built of the Aras River with various types of toxic waste poses on it is a serious threat to the population of the north- a threat to the existence of flora and fauna. western regions of Azerbaijan. Thus, taking into account that the main tributaries The Khonashen River, which flows from west to east, of the Aras River pass through the territory of Armenia, is polluted by sewage and waste from the Khojavend that the Metsamor NPP operates in the country despite Central Hospital, located 200-300 metres away, as well international pressure and discharges its waste into as waste from the pig and livestock complex located the Zangi tributary of the Aras River, as well as the fact 200 metres from the river. It should be noted that a that Armenia has not joined the 1992 Convention on small lake was formed after farmers blocked this river, the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses which passes through the occupied territories. This wa- and International Lakes, it is possible to conclude that ter source is the only water source in the area, which is an environmental catastrophe will be inevitable. By the used both as drinking water and for various purposes way, there are opinions not only in the Republic of Azer- (irrigation of crops, animal husbandry, etc.). Ecological- baijan, but also in the Republic of Turkey that the opera- sanitary samples taken from this water source revealed tion of the Metsamor NPP poses a serious threat to the that the number of microbes in them was many times ecology of the region, especially in the regions border- higher than the norm. The river is further polluted by ing on Armenia such as Igdir, which is only 15 kilome- water growing mainly as a result of floods during the tres away from the power plant. According to experts, rains, and the river water flows into the Orjonikidze ca- the Metsamor nuclear power plant in Armenia and the nal (2, pp.135-138). Kozladuy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria are the most The pollution of water bodies in Nagorno-Karabakh dangerous enterprises in Europe (6, pp. 24-39). and surrounding areas has become commonplace. Also, along with the Sarsang reservoir, which is im- Even the state statistics bodies of Armenia unhesitat- portant for agriculture and has the highest relief in Azer- ingly disseminate information on the amount of harm- baijan, there are other reservoirs with a total water ca- ful substances discharged into water bodies in the oc- pacity of 80 million cubic metres left in the territories of cupied territories of Azerbaijan. The Garasu River, which the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia. These flows in the direction of the villages of Ashagi Veyselli include the Khachinchay Reservoir, built in 1964, the and Agburun, is completely impossible to use for do- Ganligol Reservoir, built in 1965, the Arpachay Reservoir, mestic purposes due to its pollution by Armenians. Skin built in 1977, the Agdamkend Reservoir, built in 1962, diseases have been observed on the bodies of residents and more than 160 water depots, which have become a using water from the Kondalanchay and Guruchay riv- real source of danger. ers flowing through the territory of Fuzuli District, and The Okhchuchay River, flowing in front of Sharikan the pollution of these rivers by Armenians has caused village in Zangilan District of Azerbaijan, is being pol- various diseases (7, p.54). www.irs-az.com 47 Armenian terrorism Another river flowing from west to east, the Gargar ter Security Problems of the Republic of Armenia and River, feeds mainly on rain and snow and is polluted by Artsakh in the Context of the Nagorno-Karabakh Con- various types of waste near Agdam, Asgaran, Khankendi flict”: “In the context of supplying Nagorno-Karabakh and other settlements. The lack of information about with drinking water, Kalbajar and Lachin districts play an the current environmental situation in the occupied exceptional role. In general, the existence of the Nago- territories is a great problem. Armenia, which controls rno-Karabakh republic and its water security depend on these territories, deliberately hides the real environmen- the status of those territories. If Azerbaijan regains these tal situation there, and therefore it is possible to make territories, not only the NKR, but also Armenia will face a only general assumptions about the situation. disaster, because the source of the Arpa and Bargushad Hydrometeorological observations in the occupied rivers, which feed the Lake Goycha, the main source of territories are of great importance in the study of hy- fresh water in Armenia, comes from these districts.” drometeorological conditions in the Republic of Azer- The next target of the environmental terrorist act by baijan, especially in meteorological forecasts and in the Armenia was Injichay, which passes through the villages assessment of water resources.