Turkmenistan cares for ecology of coastal region
Turkmenistan is developing the ecological project aimed at improving the state of the environment and preventing oil pollution in the Balkan province, the western seaside region of Turkmenistan. As it was announced at the Friday Cabinet meeting, this project is expedient from various angles of view. In particular, from the economic point of view, the project will serve as a source of additional revenues to the budget from paying taxes on profits. The social aspect is related to the creation of new jobs and the training of national specialist staff. Ingenuously, in ecological aspect, the use of innovative technologies will positively influence on environmental safety. In addition, Turkmenistan will accumulate relevant experience, which will allow fulfilling similar tasks in the future in-house. The close attention of the authorities of Turkmenistan to the ecology of the Balkan province is primarily explained by the fact that the region is very promising in ecological tourism. Annually, the flow of tourists into the national tourist zone of Avaza is growing steadily. There are two reserves in the territory of the province: Khazar (ornithological orientation), and Syunt-Hasardag. At the same time, the region specializes in the oil extraction and processing. Over 90% of the country’s total crude production falls on the Balkan region. Nevertheless, according to the Caspian Environmental Service “Caspokoekontrol”, a specialized unit of the State Committee for the Protection of the Environment and Land Resources, the analysis of monitoring samples of sea water indicates that the content of harmful substances in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea does not exceed the permissible limits. In addition, the Service systematically carries out environmental audits of foreign and domestic companies engaged in marine cargo transportation, oil and gas production. Balkan province is a home for strategic infrastructure and industrial facilities - Turkmenbashi complex of oil refineries, International Seaport of Turkmenbashi. The role of the region is growing in the light of the ongoing implementation of petrochemical projects. At the same time, each project envisages the installation of treatment facilities and is carried out in strict compliance with environmental requirements.
