Ecology

BAKU STEEL COMPANY EIA HEARINGS HELD

Emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere by the "Baku Steel Company" Joint Venture, established on the basis of a major industrial enterprise "AzerElectroTerm", will exceed the allowed concentration 1.5 times.

This was announced by a State Committee on Ecology spokesman in a meeting with ecological NGOs Monday.

The release of metal dust, which many believe is the most serious ecological threat posed by the enterprise, will constitute 230 tons a year. The enterprise's state-owned predecessor underwent major reconstruction in the last years of its existence, as its production technologies were renewed and powerful filtration facilities installed capable of capturing 420 tons of metal dust per year. Ecologists have calculated that total ecological damage inflicted by the enterprise will amount to $1.37 million a year. NGOs recommended to measure the level of radiation of raw materials and finished products.

"Baku Steel Company" is expected to start work in the near future. Initial yearly output of reinforced bars has been set at 100,000 tons, while in the future the figure is expected to reach 250,000 tons a year. The products will be exported to Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Georgia.

ABOLISHED SOCIETY KEEPS STRUGGLING

Court hearings of a suit filed by the Society of the Garabagh Disabled (SGD) against the Ministry of Justice has been scheduled for Wednesday.

The Society accuses the Ministry of registering an alternative society for the rights of veterans and families of victims in mid-February. Also on April 25, the committee for the rights of the original Society is expected to hold a conference on "Building a secular state in Azerbaijan" at Hyatt Regency Hotel of Baku. The conference will focus on social attitude towards the disabled and problems the Society has faced.

Representatives of embassies, international organizations and government agencies are expected to take part, the SGD press-secretary Rey Karimoglu told Azernews Saturday.

INT'L SEMINAR APPROVES AZERI ECOLOGIST's SUGGESTIONS

Two suggestions of an ecologist from Azerbaijan I. Abdulov were approved by the international seminar, "Clean air in Europe and Central Asia", held in Bratislava April 18-20. One of the proposals concerned the involvement of architects in projects on prevention of environmental pollution by transport vehicles, while the other had to do with prioritizing city problems.

The seminar was organized by the World Bank, Dutch and Japanese governments, as well as the Bratislava municipality and attended by 91 representatives from 29 countries, according to a source from the State Committee on Ecology.