96,000 hectares of land in Azerbaijan will not receive enough water due to the blockade of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), Advisor to the State Minister of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan said in a statement on Monday, February 27
He noted that in his message dated February 23, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan revealed some details about the energy crisis of Artsakh and the water resources of Sarsang.
“A few facts and highlights: by completely interrupting the supply of electricity from Armenia since January 9, as well as regularly interrupting the supply of gas throughout the entire period of the blockade, the Azerbaijani side deliberately provoked an energy crisis as the main means of pressure,” Beglaryan said.
“Since then, we have switched to crisis management of the energy system, using local hydroelectric power stations at full capacity and limiting consumption as much as possible, including through the suspension of large business enterprises and rolling blackouts,” he said.
“In addition, the official continued, during this period, the water resources of the Sarsang reservoir were greatly depleted, since for the operation of our main hydroelectric power station we released much more water resources, with a capacity of 50 megawatts, than they enter Sarsang.”
Beglaryan noted that the situation is critical, which means that in a short time there will be an extreme shortage of water resources necessary for the production of electricity in Artsakh, with all its ensuing consequences.
“The water resources of the Sarsang reservoir with a capacity of almost 600 million cubic meters have been overwhelmingly reduced, which in spring and summer will create a serious crisis primarily for Azerbaijani farmers, since there will be insufficient water resources to irrigate about 96,000 hectares of land in Tartar, Aghdam, Bard, Goranboy, Yevlakh and Aghjabad regions of Azerbaijan,” he added.
Since December 12, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia – the Lachin Corridor – has been blocked by self-described Azerbaijani environmentalists. Karabakh residents have reported food and fuel shortages, while hospital patients don't have access to essential medicines, with only a handful allowed transfer to facilities in Armenia proper.
