BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 28. Azerbaijan needs significant investments in water infrastructure, the World Bank's (WB) Lead Water Resources Management Specialist Azad Abdulhamid said at the "Role of Water Management Systems in Climate-Resilient Agriculture" COP29 round table, TurkicWorld reports.
"There have been many studies on water security, irrigation modernization, and agriculture, and I hope that the results of these studies will be followed by investments that will modernize infrastructure. However, as in many other countries, the investments that are allocated are often just a drop in the ocean. Azerbaijan has 1.5 million ha of irrigated land, and significant funds are needed to modernize the water infrastructure. We hope that the bank will be able to support the government in this matter," he noted.
Abdulhamid added that many countries pay great attention to the construction of dams and reservoirs, which can serve as a buffer against climate change; therefore, significant investments in storage capacities are needed.
According to him, there are also large investment needs in countries such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan to ensure climate sustainability of water infrastructure. The required investments are very significant; modernization is needed, as the facilities were designed almost 40–50 years ago and many are already worn out.
