Turkmenistan proposes to create a platform for developing measures to improve the ecology of the Caspian Sea
Among the many areas of cooperation in the Caspian Sea, a special place is occupied by the ecology of the sea, the preservation of its unique biodiversity, said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, speaking at an international conference in honor of the Caspian Day, held on August 12 in Avaza.
"The most acute problem is the reduction of the water area of the Caspian Sea. Currently, the sea level is close to the minimum values for the entire time of instrumental observations. In the last 25 years, it has decreased by almost 2 meters, which leads to the retreat of the sea for considerable distances. This has been especially noticeable in recent years. The sea has moved hundreds of meters away from its former shores. In the north of the Caspian Sea, these figures are even higher," said Meredov, whose speech was published on the website of the country's foreign ministry.
To date, there are two main concepts of the causes of changes in the level of the Caspian Sea: climatic and geological, the degree of their impact is the subject of scientific research. But there is still no consensus on the causes of changes in the level of the Caspian Sea and therefore it is not possible to predict with confidence the trends of this process.
The speaker referred to the opinion of many experts who note that the climatic processes taking place in Eurasia are mainly influenced by the Atlantic and the Arctic, and determine the amount of precipitation and evaporation in the Caspian Sea basin.
About 130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, the bulk of the inflow falls on the Volga (80%), the Urals, Terek, Kura, Sulak, Samur and the rivers of the Iranian coast. The main factors of river runoff are winter precipitation in the basins of the Volga and Ural rivers.
Rashid Meredov drew attention to the fact that the regulation of river flow affects the change in the regime of seasonal inflow into the sea and, as a consequence, the level of the Caspian Sea.
He cited data according to which, since the 50s of the last century, after the construction of large reservoirs on some rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the intra-annual distribution of water flow has changed. According to the Coordination Committee for Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea, in 2022 the rate of decline of its level increased compared to 2021. On average, this indicator is 20 cm. The main reason was the reduced flow of the Volga in 2022 (212 cubic km at the top of the river delta), which was significantly lower than normal (238 cubic km). Due to the projected low water content of the Volga, a further decrease in the level of the Caspian Sea is expected in 2023.
In addition, in some places, uncontrolled use of seawater is allowed by desalination in large volumes for household needs. All of the above causes serious concerns, the Foreign Minister continued.
In this regard, there is an urgent need to strengthen scientific cooperation in studying the water balance and determining the causes of fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea in order to predict it, which is of great importance both for the preservation of the ecosystem of the Caspian Sea and for the economies of the coastal regions of the Caspian states.
Fluctuation of sea level entails a change in biological diversity. There are cases of mass pestilence of marine mammals, birds and fish. So, in 1997, 2000 and 2022, there was a mass death of the Caspian seal.
The Caspian Sea is located near the intersection of several migration routes of migratory birds, which makes it possible for them to transmit various pathogens. The study of this issue should also be the subject of joint research by scientific organizations of the Caspian states, with the involvement, if necessary, of international structures, Meredov believes.
"Concern about the environmental situation in the Caspian Sea determines the position of Turkmenistan, proceeding from the need to significantly intensify and concretize international cooperation in the field of ecology. Here we see the United Nations as our main partner in the face of its specialized bodies and institutions," Meredov stressed.
Declaring its priority positions at the 78th session of the General Assembly, Turkmenistan proposed the Caspian Environmental Initiative, which is designed to become an international platform for substantive and professional interaction on a wide range of issues related to the protection of the Caspian environment, the preservation of its biological resources, and the solution of a number of urgent environmental problems.
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