A few days ago, heavy rainfall in Baku caused flooding in various parts of the capital. Roads, private homes, restaurants, and cars were submerged, while in some settlements bridges and roads became unusable.
Such heavy rains, which recur every year, consistently cause similar damage and in some cases even lead to fatalities. In October 2024, two people drowned in the Sabunchu tunnel, once again highlighting the seriousness of the problem.
Official Explanation: Who Is Responsible?
Government agencies usually explain these incidents as a result of “climate change” and “above-normal precipitation,” presenting them as natural disasters.
Following the latest incident, at a meeting held on March 30 at the Baku City Executive Authority, officials stated that, according to monitoring results, “the areas most affected by the rain were homes that had previously been built illegally and without complying with construction standards.”
Residents complain: “It’s the same situation after every rainfall”
Videos shared on social media and residents’ comments suggest that the issue is systemic.
Sabunchu resident Vusal Aliyev says his house floods every time it rains:
“It’s a courtyard house. As soon as it rains, water fills the house and damages my furniture. This has been going on for years. There isn’t a single institution we haven’t complained to. Every time they say it will be fixed, but nothing changes.”
Khirdalan resident Aysun Mammadova reports similar problems:
“Every time it rains, we’re afraid the house will flood again. The children can’t sleep at night. We clean up the water ourselves every time and suffer financial losses. We’ve filed complaints many times, but there has been no result.”
Root cause: Weak infrastructure
At a meeting chaired by President Ilham Aliyev on January 12, 2026, one of the main causes identified was the weakness of the sewage system. The president noted that heavy downpours effectively paralyze city transport.
According to him, the proposed solution includes building new collector networks on 30 streets in Baku and increasing sewage system coverage from 50% to 95%.
Funds have periodically been allocated for reconstruction and restoration of Baku’s sewer system. In 2016, by presidential decree, a working group was established to improve Baku’s stormwater drainage system. It was headed by Ramiz Mehdiyev, then head of the Presidential Administration. In May 2017, former Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov announced that 14 projects had been planned, with 14.2 million manats allocated for 12 of them. However, no further information was later provided regarding implementation.
For the Hovsan and Zigh project, a €35 million loan from France was secured, along with an additional 44.9 million manats from the state budget.
In total, 314.8 million manats have been allocated so far.
Additionally, under Baku’s development master plan through 2040, 9.2 billion manats will be needed between 2020 and 2040 to build and modernize the capital’s water supply and sewage systems. Of this amount, 487.9 million manats is designated specifically for stormwater drainage lines.
Expert: “This situation is the result of unregulated construction, corruption, and bribery”
Economist Zohrab Ismayil told Meydan TV that there are several reasons behind the problem:
“For about 17–18 years, Baku had no master development plan. At the same time, since the 2000s, buildings were constructed and roads were laid. During this process, all the drainage lines that used to carry rainwater into the sea were destroyed. This situation is the result of uncontrolled construction, corruption, and bribery. Part of the billions earned from oil revenues was spent on meaningless tunnels and roads in Baku. As a result, we have once again seen that this system simply does not exist in the city.”
The economist says solving the problem will require billions more:
“All roads would have to be dug up again. Tunnels must be rebuilt. This isn’t only about sewage or rainwater. Roads are collapsing because they lack proper foundations. Highways have been built over unstable ground. All of this requires enormous sums of money. But there is no visible prospect for improvement because the Azerbaijani government does not accept modern governance practices. Ilham Aliyev personally resolves these matters in one way or another.”
He also says affected residents should take legal action:
“All of this happened because state institutions failed to perform their duties properly. But there is no real solution in sight. The next time it rains, we’ll witness the same thing again.”, Zohrab Ismayil added.
