Azerbaijan is suffering from water shortages and the problem is only expected to worsen, according to local and international forecasts.

Vulnerable women in rural areas are more likely to suffer due to climate change, experts warn.

UNDP has predicted that climate change-related droughts will likely reduce the water supply in Azerbaijan by 23 percent from 2021-2050. The World Resources Institute notes that, while currently Azerbaijan has a medium-level of water stress, it will be in the top 20 countries suffering from water shortages by 2040.

“As a result of climate change our water resources are down by 15 percent and it is predicted that this process will continue,” Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev said at the 6th meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

Mirnuh Ismayilov, a member of Azerbaijan Geographical Society, notes that farmers are already feeling the effects of climate change in the country.

“In particular, water resources are one of the most important factors in areas with hot and dry climates like Bilasuvar and in semi-desert areas. Here, problems such as water shortage and drought directly affect the livelihoods of the population and its economic income. Productivity declines several times, which affects the income and social life of the population,” he notes.