Environmental Protection of International River Basins (EPIRB) Contract No 2011/279-666 This project is funded by the This project is implemented by a Consortium European Union led by Hulla & Co. Human Dynamics KG RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR CENTRAL KURA PILOT BASIN DISTRICT: AGSTAFACHAY, TOVUZCHAY, SHAMKIRCHAY AND GANJACHAY RIVER BASINS COMPONENT A – RIVER BASIN ANALYSIS Prepared by IHPA NGO March 2013 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS: ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................. 4 1. BASIN OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................ 5 1.1 General overview ................................................................................................. 5 1.1.1 International cooperation and coordination in the basin...................................... 6 1.1.2 Identification of potential competent authorities for implementation of RBMP . 8 1.2 Natural conditions in the basin .......................................................................... 11 1.2.1 Geographic overview ........................................................................................... 11 1.2.2 Climate and vegetation cover .............................................................................. 13 1.2.3 Protected areas and wetland ecosystems ........................................................... 15 1.2.4 Geology and topography ...................................................................................... 18 1.2.5 Geodynamic processes – mudflows, landslides, etc. ........................................... 20 1.3 Hydrological characterization of the basin ......................................................... 20 1.3.1 Surface water resources ....................................................................................... 20 1.3.2 Main characteristics of the rivers in the pilot basin ............................................. 23 1.3.3 Groundwater resources ....................................................................................... 26 1.3.3.1 General information about groundwater aquifiers ......................................... 26 1.3.3.2 Geological characteristics of the area in brief ................................................. 27 1.3.3.3 Hydrogeological situation ................................................................................ 29 1.3.3.4 Groundwater aquifers and complexes protection rate .................................... 30 2. HUMAN ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................... 34 2.1 Population and demography ............................................................................. 34 2.2 History of economic activities in the pilot basin ................................................. 34 2.3 Agriculture ......................................................................................................... 34 2.4 Water abstraction ............................................................................................. 35 2.4.1 Irrigation water intake .......................................................................................... 35 2.4.2 Drinking water intake ........................................................................................... 37 2.5 Flood protection ................................................................................................ 38 2.6 Industry and mining ........................................................................................... 41 2.7 Hydropower generation ..................................................................................... 43 2.8 Waste disposal .................................................................................................. 44 2.9 Forestry ............................................................................................................. 45 2.10 Tourism ............................................................................................................. 46 2.11 Anthropogenic loads and impacts on ground waters ......................................... 46 2.11.1 Pollution from household wastes .................................................................... 46 2.11.2 Pollution from industrial pollutants ................................................................. 47 2.11.3 Pollution from agricultural pollutants .............................................................. 47 2.11.4 Pollution from flooding .................................................................................... 48 2.11.5 Groundwater exploitation ................................................................................ 48 2 2.12 Trends in human activity .................................................................................... 49 3. IDENTIFICATION OF PRESSURES AND IMPACTS ......................................................... 51 3.1 Water abstraction ............................................................................................. 51 3.1.1 Water abstraction for communal and household purposes ................................ 51 3.1.2 Water abstraction for irrigation purposes ........................................................... 52 3.1.3 Water abstraction for industrial purposes ........................................................... 54 3.1.4 Hydropower plants ............................................................................................... 55 3.2 Point sources of pollution .................................................................................. 55 3.2.1 Urban wastewater discharge, including wastewater wells ................................. 55 3.2.2 Discharge from industrial and mining activities ................................................... 57 3.3 Diffused source of pollution ............................................................................... 58 3.3.1 Processing of agricultural crops and use of fertilizers ......................................... 58 3.3.2 Animal husbandry and overgrazing...................................................................... 58 3.3.3 Automobile transport ........................................................................................... 59 3.3.4 Solid wastes .......................................................................................................... 59 3.3.5 Tailing dams .......................................................................................................... 60 3.4 Physical-morphological changes of water bodies ............................................... 60 3.5 Water quality of rivers in the pilot region .......................................................... 61 4. MONITORING OF WATER IN THE PILOT RIVER BASIN ................................................ 71 4.1 Monitoring of the quality of surface waters ....................................................... 71 4.2 Hydromorphological monitoring ........................................................................ 75 4.2.1 Hydrological monitoring ....................................................................................... 75 4.2.2 Hydromorphology ................................................................................................ 78 4.2.3 Hydrogeological monitoring ................................................................................. 78 4.3 Biological monitoring ........................................................................................ 79 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 80 3 ABBREVIATIONS Amelioration OJSC Amelioration and Water Economy Open Joint Stock Company (Azerbaijan) AZERSU Azersu Joint Stock Company (Azerbaijan) Dashkasan FJSC Dashkasan filizsaflashdirma JSC (Dashkasan Mining and Processing Plant) EU European Union GEF Global Environment Facility HPP Hydroelectric power plant IWRM Integrated water resource management MENR Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (Azerbaijan) MPD Maximum Permissible Discharge NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NHD National Hydrometeorology Department (MENR) NPD National Policy Dialogue NWA National Water Agency (Azerbaijan) OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe QA Quality assurance QC Quality control RBMP River Basin Management Plan REC Caucasus Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus SIDA Swedish International Development Agency SPNA (protected) SWA State Water Agency (Azerbaijan) TACIS Technical Aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States ToR Terms of Reference UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe USAID United States Agency for International Development WFD Water Framework Directive (EU) WREP Western Route Export Pipeline 4 1. BASIN OVERVIEW 1.1 General overview The Pilot area is located in Ganja-Gazakh economic region, which has complicated relief and includes nine administrative districts. Ganja-Gazakh is located in the western part of Azerbaijan. It covers the administrative regions of Agstafa, Dashkasan, Gadabay, Goranboy, Goygol, Gazakh, Samukh, Shamkir, and Tovuz and the cities of Ganja and Naftalan, which are under republican jurisdiction. The economic region has advantageous economic-geographical position (source: SPSEDR) and this has played an important role in the distribution of the population. In the beginning of 2012 its total population