OREANDA-NEWS. May 20, 2010. The Governmental Commission established yesterday by executive order of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in connection with the natural disaster following flooding in the Kura and Arax rivers has conducted its first session.

Local TV channels inform that the session presided by Prime Minister Artur Rasizadeh discussed ways of prevention of natural disaster consequences.

Following the session Ahmad Ahmadzadeh, the president of Azerbaijan Melioration & Water Industry OJSC informed that at the session there were give tasks concerning large-scale works on liquidation of disaster consequences.

“The major issue raised during the session was reduction of water level in the Kura and Arax rivers. In particular, it is envisaged to remove the disaster in a way of revealing inflows. If they are revealed, then the Kura and Araz rivers will be separated. The rivers will fall flowing into the Caspian Sea separately,” Ahmadzadeh emphasized.

Under the order, the Commission was set up to prepare complex measures on liquidation of consequences of the occurred natural disaster, restoration of economy and populated points of the region, compensation of caused damage to the population and prevention of such disasters in the future.

The Commission is headed by prime minister Artur Rasizadeh. Among its members are: vice premier Abid Sharifov; vice premier and chair of the State Committee for Refuges & IDPs Ali Hasanov; ministers for emergency situations Kamaleddin Heydarov, for internal affairs Ramil Usubov, for finance Samir Sharifov, for economic development Shahin Mustafayev, for health Ogtay Shiraliyev, for environment & natural resources Huseyngulu Bagirov, for agriculture Ismet Abasov, for transport Ziya Mammadov, for communications & information technologies Ali Abbasov, for labour & social protection Fizuli Alakbarov, for education Misir Mardanov; Zeynal Nagdaliyev, the head of the Department for Organs of Regional Governance  & Local Self-Government of the Presidential Administration; chairs of the State Committees for Property Affairs Kerem Hasanov, for Land & Cartography Garib Mammadov, for Town-Planning & Architecture Abbas Alaskarov, for Statistics Arif Veliyev; chairperson of the State Social Protection Fund Salim Muslimov; presidents of Azerbaijan Melioration & Water Industry OJSC Ahmad Ahmadzadeh, Azersu OJSC (national water operator) Nizameddin Rzayev, Azerenerji OJSC (national electric supply operator) Etibar Pirverdiyev.

The Governmental Commission was entrusted to aid to flood victim families who lost place of residence in solution of vitally important issues and realize measure on rehabilitation of people who experienced moral-psychological shock.

The Commission must also make a list of collapsed houses or the ones in state of failure, infrastructure sites and other facilities of social purpose; evaluate size of material damage caused to the population following the natural disaster, establish sums of relevant compensations and take measures on their payment. The proposals for measures aimed at restoring and reconstructing economy, social, farm, public utility, energy infrastructure, infrastructure communications, transport and other infrastructure in the area of the natural disaster should be submitted to the President within a month.

The Commission is prescribed to provide population’s awareness of the taken measures; and report regularly to the President about the course of works conducted in connection with natural disaster. For two-month period the Commission should submit proposals for complex measures on prevention of such cases that can occur in the future.

Flooding occurred on the territory of 40 regions of Azerbaijan following rain showers. According to preliminary data, about 20,000 houses, over 50,000 hectares of sown area and pastures turned out under water, more than 300 buildings collapsed, almost 2,000 ones are in accident conditions, numerous infrastructure sites and other facilities of social purpose went out.