The Aghsu river has changed course and local authorities have warned that some people’s homes are in danger. According to the deputy head of the Aghsu Regional Executive Authority, Igbal Mikayilov, rain
has caused
the river to rise and wash away dams.
Local residents, however, claim that the problem is man-made.
“For years we have been writing that [businesses protected by the Executive Authority] are digging up the river bed, selling the gravel to make money, and putting our lives in danger,” Aghsu resident Maarif Abdullayev told Meydan TV. “They threaten anyone who raises their voice to shut them up. Day and night gravel is hauled out of the Aghsu river in trucks. Now the water has destroyed the dams and the bureaucrats are making a fuss….They want to blame it all on the rain.”
“Night and day, we watch them dig up the riverbed and haul away the gravel,” Valida Asgarova said in an interview with Meydan TV. Asgarova lives on Natavan Street alongside the river. “When we go and complain the people at the Executive Authority say to our face that no one’s digging in the river, you’re intentionally spreading lies and creating tension.”
Speaking with Meydan TV, the Aghsu Regional Executive Authority said that there is at present no danger of flooding. “There is no cause for alarm. The rains that occur every year at this time are the cause of the river’s behavior. Appeals have been made to the appropriate agencies, measures are being taken.”
“Regarding the gravel, we have no such information,” a representative said.
Local residents are taking their own measures. Several families have moved their belongings, livestock, and poultry out of the area in case of flooding.
