ADB Helps to Improve Flood Protection in Azerbaijan - Photo Essay

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ADB Helps to Improve Flood Protection in Azerbaijan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping Azerbaijan to address the problem of recurrent flooding in the country’s northeast region through a $22 million loan for an innovative flood mitigation project, ADB’s first loan to Azerbaijan.

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About 1.2 million hectares of land in Azerbaijan are vulnerable to floods, which can cause considerable loss of life and property.	The impact is more keenly felt because most of the rural population cannot afford personal, crop, and livestock insurance.	Floods worsen the living standards of the poor, negate any progress in reducing poverty, and can cause the non-poor to fall into poverty.
The ADB flood mitigation project is implementing 25 least-cost solutions to protect villages and agricultural land around the Araz, Ganikh, and Mazim rivers from floods.	The project covers 12 districts in the four flood-prone areas to provide protection to five major towns and 43 villages.	The project will support support the livelihood of over 200,000 people living on 76,790 hectares of floodplains.
Non-structural measures, such as afforestation, flood forecasting systems and flood zoning, as well as disaster-preparedness training, will also be provided.	The project will establish flood management infrastructure, plans, and practices in order to ensure sustainability.	This project will assist Azerbaijan Government to promote rural growth and raise rural incomes through improved water resources management and control.

Azerbaijan Resident Mission