Azerbaijan restores Khachinchay reservoir in liberated Aghdam

By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan is restoring the Khachinchay reservoir in liberated Aghdam region, the head of the Regional Department for Mechanical Irrigation, Hafiz Azimzade, has said.

Azimzade made the remarks in an interview with Azerbaijan's AzTV channel.

Azimzade reminded that the reservoir, which had been under 30 years of Armenian occupation, is in terrible condition due to a lack of proper care.

"The reservoir, which was built in 1964, is 940 meters long and has a capacity of 23 million cubic meters. Before the occupation, it played an important role in the irrigation of 8,000 hectares of land, as well as in the water supply of Aghdam city. This year, the repair work will be carried out at the reservoir," Azimzade underlined.

The territory's demining work has been finished and professionals have generated design estimates for the reservoir project, he added.

"It’s envisaged to conduct respective tender. Repair and restoration work will be carried out at the dam itself, as well as repair of a 30-kilometer canal," Azimzade said.

He added that as a result of the restoration work, the potential for the functioning of this facility will increase.

"Now the reservoir isn’t used. Due to lack of maintenance, its capacity has decreased from 23 million cubic meters to 12-13 million cubic meters. Upon completion of the repair work, it will be possible to irrigate more than 2,000 hectares of land. In addition, there are 327 sub-artesian wells on the department's balance sheet. 12 of which have been fully restored and commissioned," he concluded.

Aghdam was occupied by Armenian forces in the war in 1993. Azerbaijan regained control over the region under the November 10, 2020, trilateral ceasefire deal that ended the 44-day second Karabakh war.

Under the general plan, the territory of Aghdam city is 1,750 hectares and gardens will be created around the city on a 2,450-hectare-area. The smart social infrastructure will be established, 15 schools and kindergartens will be built in the city.

Initially, a big forest park stretching 125 hectares will be laid out in Aghdam. The Aghdam Canal, which is being restored, will pass through the city and water will drain into the lake that will be created here.

The creation of the Industrial Park is already underway under the general plan in Aghdam. It will be divided into social and technical zones and will have the food, light industry, services sectors, and big industrial enterprises. The bases for the sale of building materials and a park for vehicles will be created in the Industry Park.

It is planned to open the enterprises producing building materials, meat and dairy factories, establish a wine and feed production, produce and process fertilizers, organize the packing of agricultural products, produce canned fruits and vegetables.

Aghdam's strategic and geographical location will expand the possibilities to turn it into an industrial center of the Karabakh region.