World Bank approves $8.2 million plan to clean up Caspian Sea

The World Bank has approved $8.243m in funding for a “Clean-up of the Caspian Sea” project aimed at improving pollution monitoring and protecting biodiversity across Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The initiative will also receive $11.743m from the Global Environment Facility, Caliber.Az reports citing the World Bank.

The five-year programme, coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme, focuses on strengthening water quality monitoring, improving marine protected areas and enhancing cross-border cooperation on environmental management.

Funding is split between pollution monitoring and biodiversity protection, including efforts to track industrial and agricultural contamination and improve oversight of key species such as the Caspian seal and sturgeon.

The World Bank warns that the Caspian Sea has experienced declining water levels in recent decades, with further reductions of up to 30 metres projected by 2100 due to climate change and human activity.

By Aghakazim Guliyev