(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 5.​ Azerbaijan's State Water Resources Agency has thrown its hat in the ring with plans to breathe new life into the Banovsha Lake reservoir near the nation's Gusar district, Trend reports.

The Directorate of Ongoing Construction Projects under the agency has initiated preliminary operations and is currently engaged in the contractor selection process to execute the necessary remediation efforts. The initiative, with a financial allocation of 1.1 million manat ($646,700), is designed to enhance the operational efficacy of the reservoir.

The Banovsha Lake reservoir, constructed in 1982, once served as a vital source of drinking and household water for the city of Gusar and nearby villages. Over the years, however, it fell into neglect and gradually dried up, rendering it largely unusable. The deteriorating condition of the reservoir has drawn growing attention, with members of Parliament, including MP Azer Badamov, stressing that climate change is diminishing Azerbaijan's freshwater reserves and that restoring reservoirs like Banovsha is essential to ensuring the country's long-term water security.

The Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA) was instituted via a presidential decree on March 30, 2023, with the objective of optimizing hydrological resource governance and mitigating the challenges associated with water scarcity within the national context. The agency was established through the amalgamation of antecedent hydrological governance bodies into a singular, cohesive framework.

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