Ecological problems of Caspian sea

(chemical pollution by rivers, waste waters and oil products; rising of water level)

The general information about Caspian sea
Caspian sea is unique closed water basin, plays the important role in the establishment of the climate in the region, has rich stocks of rare kinds of fishes, energy-carriers and large potential for development of sea transport. The general geographical characteristic is resulted on the table 1.

On various estimations stocks of oil on Caspian sea makes about 20 billion tons. About 85 % sturgeon fishes and 95 % of black caviar are produced on Caspian sea. On Caspian pool lives or pass the winter about 10 mln. birds.
Ecological problems. Disturbing the ecological condition of Caspian sea, caused by its pollution by industrial, agricultural and municipal wastes, offshore and coastal production of oil and gas, shipping company and other circumstances, have caused degradation its biodiversity, exhaust of fish resources, have increased fluctuations of the sea level, that has resulted to have fires of inhabited files and industrial infrastructures. At the moment a situation even more embittered in connection with the beginning of intensive operation of sea oil deposits.

The ecological problems of Caspian sea can be divided into 3 types

1. Chemical pollution by the running rivers. The number of the rivers flowing in Caspian sea reaches 130. Annually these rivers brings water with volume more than 300 Cuba km. Only River Volga brings in Caspian Sea the 80% of water. And not only water but also all ecological problems of industrially developed regions of Russia. By Volga is bringing about the 95 % of chemical pollutants including annually 145 thousand tons of oil, 1353 tons phenol, 1620 tons of zinc and other metals.
The rivers Kura and Araks practically have all industrial drains of the countries of Southern Caucasus (though 70 % of the population use the water of Kura as drinking) and brings them into the Caspian sea. Terek has about 240 mln of Cuba m, and Kura - 522 mln of Cuba m of water drains.
From various branches of Azerbaijan economy are dumped about 500 mln of Cuba ì polluted waters, 300 mln of Cuba m from them are dumped after clearing.

2. Ecological problems, connected to the rise of the level of water.A level of water on Caspian sea during 1977-1998 has risen about 2.5 m.. In southern regions of country about 17 village have remained under water, in Baku-Apsheron region some industrial objects were flooded, ecological refugees were formed. Economic damage from the ecological accident makes about 4 billion US dollars.

3 Offshore oil industry. The offshore oil industry in Azerbaijan sector of Caspian sea have developed since 1949. On platforms " Neft dashlari " and "28 April" heavily developed productions and transportation of oil. At this time sulfuric oil for processing in refiners was transported to Baku from the Kazakhstan coast by tankers. As a result of oil flood during its production and transportation the level of sea pollution by oil exceeds allowable norm in some sites up to 20 times. Among the most polluted sites of Caspian sea by oil are: Baku bay, Apsheron archipelago, Islands, Turkmenbashi, Cheleken, Mangishlak, Tengiz and other sites of oil industry.
Development
Due to forthcoming rough exploration of the oil industry on Caspian sea it is possible to expect its more serious pollution.
Since 1994 Azerbaijan and other Caspian countries have signed the international contracts with the foreign oil companies. For example oil sector in Turkmenistan only in 1999 TNC has enclosed the investments about 400 mln US dollars. Total volume of stocks of oil is 12 billion ton, and gas-23 billion cubic m. More than 10 International oil companies have begun development in Turkmenistan sector of Caspian sea. In Russian sector of the sea Lukoil company , and in Kazakhstan sector-consortia OKIOC have also begun their activity. In Iranian sector investigation will be carried out by seismic methods.
About the Azerbaijan oil contracts will be marked in section" Ecological problems of the oil industry".