BAKU: Rapid falls in the level of the Caspian Sea are affecting ports and oil shipments and threatening to inflict catastrophic damage on sturgeon and seal populations, according to Azerbaijani officials.

The Caspian, the world’s largest salt lake, holds significant offshore oil reserves and is bordered by five countries that are all major producers of oil or gas or both: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Ecology Minister Rauf Hajiyev said that the sea had been getting shallower for decades, but figures showed that the trend was accelerating.

Published in Dawn, August 22th, 2025