Baku greets New Year morning clean and orderly

Azerbaijan’s capital Baku welcomed the first morning of the new year unusually clean and well-kept after large New Year celebrations drew thousands of residents and foreign visitors to the city centre.

Crowds gathered overnight from December 31 to January 1 to watch a New Year fireworks display, creating a festive atmosphere across central squares, parks and main streets, Caliber.Az reports.

Such mass events typically leave public spaces littered with rubbish by morning.

This year, however, the city appeared tidy in the early hours of January 1. Municipal cleaning crews worked through the night, and by around 06:00 local time streets, parks and public squares in high-traffic areas had been fully cleared, city services said.

The swift clean-up highlighted the capacity of Baku’s коммунal services, which operated on an enhanced schedule during the holiday. Authorities said the measures ensured that residents and visitors could celebrate safely and comfortably, with the city quickly returning to its normal appearance.

The clean condition of Baku stood in contrast to scenes reported in several other major world cities after New Year’s Eve celebrations, where piles of rubbish and disrupted services were visible the following morning.

Local officials have frequently pointed to continued investment in municipal infrastructure and services as a factor behind the city’s ability to manage large public events and maintain public order and cleanliness.

By Aghakazim Guliyev