Head of the Department of Ecogeography at the Institute of Geography, PhD in Agricultural Sciences and Associate Professor Anvar Aliyev has emphasized that Azerbaijan has lost one-third of its arable land due to the improper use of water resources. According to Aliyev, mismanagement of water has led to a situation where productive farmlands are no longer available in many regions.

Meanwhile, reports in the local media have highlighted a pilot project proposal regarding the use of artificial rainfall technology. This has raised public questions: Can such a technology restore degraded lands and make them suitable for farming again? Or is the artificial rainfall project intended merely to reduce the costs of irrigation in already arable areas?

To clarify these issues, Bizimyol.info submitted an inquiry to the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA). In its response, the Agency explained that artificial rainfall technology is primarily aimed at optimizing water supply:

“Its purpose is to provide irrigation for existing agricultural lands, to meet the water needs of crops during drought periods, and to compensate for the shortage of natural precipitation,” the Agency stated.

Günel Hasanova, Bizimyol.info