The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon has called on governments to recognize that water crises in cities are crises of management methods, weak policy and bad organization, and do not result from these resources' shortage.
The Secretary General's statement was released on March 22 on the occasion of the World Water Resources Day. He called on to increase the capital investments in water supply and sanitation for the sake of poor people. He also called on the governments to overcome the poverty of more than 800 mln people that have no access to safe potable water and medical services.
The Azerbaijani government could perceive the UN Secretary General's statement as untimely and even as interference into Azerbaijan's internal affairs.
The call's first part (not to decrease the capital expenditures) is OK with the Azerbaijani officials. The government consistently increases the expenditures that approach great sums exceeding the national defense expenses.
But the situation is opposite, regarding the call's second part (to overcome water supply problems).
The efficiency of water supply expenditures is doubtful. E.g. the Oguz-Gabala-Baku water pipeline project that had to settle the water supply problem in Baku in conformity with the government's promises has failed. The pipeline's (263 km long) construction totaled AZN 780 mln, though it was planned to spend AZN 480 mln on this.
The pipeline had to stabilize the water supply for 75% of the Baku population (3 mln people), but the residents have not observed any changes since the pipeline was launched in December 2010.
The Committee for Oilmen's Rights' Chairwoman, Mirvari Gahramanli said the money had been misappropriated by corrupted officials, because the project's implementation was not controlled.
This year the World Water Resources Day is marked under the Water for Cities motto. But judging by the Azerbaijani officials' greed, the motto is just a word for them (as many other practical and reasonable calls like this). They prefer the obsolete and purely formal slogan of Azerbaijan's Pace is Fast! (which was once said by the USSR head, Leonid Brezhnev).
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