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people, but contribute to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the

atmosphere, contributing in turn to observed trends in global warming.

The type and severity of pollution must be deduced from analysis of data

from selected cases. They provide an indication of accumulated pollution.

For example, traces of the pesticide DDT in fish tissue and seals lead

to the conclusion that DDT may be still in use despite an international

agreement to stop its application, with the risks it involves for animals

and humans. Iran, Kazakhstan and Russia have signed the Convention

on Persistent Organic Pollutants and Azerbaijan has adhered to it. The

convention seeks to ban chemicals that are absorbed by fatty tissue and

accumulate there, as is the case for DDT, enabling them to travel long

distances. The drastically restricted use of DDT raises a new problem: the

unused material is stockpiled without the necessary safety measures, and

as such poses an additional health and environmental hazard.

The accumulation of pollution from all these different sources and the fact

that several countries are involved makes it particularly difficult to manage.

Imported problems

The Volga, the main river flow-

ing into the Caspian, brings

polluted water from locations

as far as 3,500 kilometres

away. Nearly 45% of Russian

industry and 50% of its agri-

cultural production facilities

are located in the vast river ba-

sin. Inadequately treated waste

water – among others from the

entire Moscow urban area and

industrial centres such as Eka-

terinburg and Perm – spills

into tributaries of the Volga.

Any waste that does not silt up

behind a dam or soak into the

Volga estuary ends up in the

Caspian.

The situation at the mouth

of the Kura-Araks River on

the Apsheron Peninsula is

similar, with a rising pollution

load accumulating on the way

through Georgia and Arme-

nia. It then combines with the

waste from two-thirds of Az-

erbaijan’s industrial produc-

tion and more than a third of

its population. The wastewater

treatment facilities serving the

major urban areas of Baku and

Sumgait are not up to the task,

unable to cope with the rapidly

growing population.

Air quality has generally im-

proved in recent years, mainly

because industrial production

dropped drastically since the

collapse of the Soviet economic

system. But increasing emis-

sions from the expanding oil

and gas sector, and a growing

number of cars in cities, not

only affect the health of local