H.Baghirov: "Some faults allowed during preparation of rating of Azerbaijan in Environmental Performance Index"

As APA reports citing the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyngulu Baghirov: "Currently we hold correspondence with the structures which prepared this rating and investigate the reasons of this issue. Such misunderstanding also arose in the list concerning world’s cities in former times", - H.Baghirov said.

According to the Minister, one of the main criterions assumed as a basis when preparing the rating was related to the situation of drinking water supplies. The situation in this field in Azerbaijan is worse than that in Georgia. Drinking water supplies of Azerbaijan are less than those of Georgia.

"In the other hand, river waters entering our country from Georgia and Armenia are subjected to acute pollution in the territory of those countries. It was intended to take extraordinary measures for addressing this problem and these measures will be implemented soon".

Another factor affecting the rating is preservation of biological achievements and the Minister noted in this connection that Azerbaijan was the leading country among the Eastern European countries in this field.

"The protected territories form more than 8% of the territory of the country at present. If taking other indicators into consideration, we can see that some faults were allowed during preparation of the rating of Azerbaijan in the Environmental Performance Index". – H.Baghirov stressed.

It should be noted that achievements of every country like ecological health, situation in water supplies, biological variety, quality of weather, productivity of natural resources, consistent energetic development were grouped in 6 categories and valued on the basis of 16 criterions.

The following CIS countries – Ukraine holds the 51st place, Armenia 69th place, Kazakhstan 70th place, Georgia 77th place, Kyrgyzstan 80th place, Turkmenistan 104th place, Uzbekistan 105th place, and Tajikistan 117th place in the rating table. The first three places belong to New Zealand, Sweden and Finland.