The Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA) has issued an official statement regarding reports of the Kura River breaching its primary embankment and flooding several houses and agricultural plots in the Shikhbaghi, Mehdiler, and Alibayli villages of the Zardab district.
In a statement provided to Operative Information Center-OMM, the agency noted that according to forecasts from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, water resources during the high-water season (April, May, and June) are expected to be significantly higher than in previous years.
"Taking this into account, 700 cubic meters of water per second are being released from the Mingachevir reservoir into the lower reaches of the Kura River to maintain reserve capacity in both the Mingachevir and Shamkir reservoirs. The Agency's Regional Water Reclamation Service is taking proactive measures to ensure the unobstructed and safe flow of water into the Caspian Sea," the statement read. The agency clarified that the flooding in Zardab primarily affected the courtyards of private residential houses built within the river's protected buffer zone. This situation was exacerbated by recent intensive rainfall, which caused water levels to rise in the Turyanchay, Girdmanchay, Gargarchay, and other tributaries flowing into the Kura. Currently, a decrease in water levels is being observed in several areas along the river.
The management of the Regional Water Reclamation Service is currently on-site, with local operational departments conducting regular monitoring to ensure the situation remains under full control. The Kura River, the longest river in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus, plays a vital role in the country's agriculture and energy sectors, but its lower reaches are historically prone to seasonal flooding. The Mingachevir reservoir, the largest in the region, serves as a critical infrastructure point for regulating these water flows and preventing large-scale natural disasters in the Kura-Araz lowland.
