Caspian Sea Region: Situation, Problems and Perspectives

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Caspian Sea Region Situation, Problems and
Perspectives

• Aikan Akanov,
• MD, PhD, DSci (Medicine)
• Honored Scientist of the Republic of Kazakhstan
• Institute of Public Health
• Republic of Kazakhstan

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GENERAL BACKGROUND Caspian Sea characteristics

• Coordinates 400'N 510'E
• Lake type Endorheic, Saline, Permanent, Natural
• Primary sources Volga river
• Primary outflows Evaporation
• Catchment area 3,626,000 km² (1,400,000 sq mi)
• Surface area 371,000 km² (143,200 sq mi)
• Average depth 184 m (604 ft)
• Max depth 1,025 m (3,363 ft)
• Water volume 78,200 km³ (18,750 cu mi)
• Residence time(of lake water) 250 years
• Surface elevation -28 m (-92 ft)

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GENERAL BACKGROUND Basin countries

• Kazakhstan(pop.14,8 mln, GDP per capita 11 280,
  coastline 2320 km)
• Azerbaijan (pop.8,4 mln, GDP per capita 4 183,
  coastline 955 km)
• Iran (pop.68,02 mln, GDP per capita 8 000 ,
  coastline 724 km)
• Russian Federation (pop.142,05 mln, GDP per
  capita 12 944 , coastline 695 km)
• Turkmenistan(pop.4,9 mln, GDP per capita 7249,
  coastline 1200 km)

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Regional Characteristics

• There are three major issues regulated by the
  Caspian Sea status
• Access to mineral resources (oil and natural gas)
• Access for fishing
• Access to international waters (through russia's
  volga river and the canals connecting it to the
  Black Sea and Baltic Sea).

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Environmental problems

• Petrochemical and refining complexes
• Discharges and spills from oil and gas drilling
• Untreated waste from the Volga River
• Pesticides and chemicals from agricultural
  run-off
• Fluctuating Sea Level
• Overfishing
• Oil/gas pipelines and infrastructure
• Weak environmental laws and regulations and the
  inability to enforce them

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Kazakhstan

• Kazakhstan has an abundant supply of accessible
  mineral and fossil fuel resources.
• In total, there are 160 deposits with over 2.7
  billion tons of petroleum.
• The deposits on the Caspian shore are 3.5 billion
  tons of oil and 2.5 trillion cubic meters of gas.
• Overall the estimate of Kazakhstan's oil
  deposits is 6.1 billion tons.

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Environmental Problems related to oilgas
extraction and refining in Caspian Sea Region

• Oil and gas extraction, along with transportation
  and industrial production, has been the source of
  severe air, water, and soil pollution in the
  Caspian region
• Systematic water sampling in different parts of
  the Caspian basin shows contamination from
  phenols, oil products, and other sources. Mineral
  deposit exploration, particularly oil extraction
  and pipeline construction, have contributed to
  the pollution of about 30,000 hectares of land.
• In addition to the health and environmental
  threats due to oil and gas production in the
  Caspian, the sea's geographic location is another
  factor complicating efforts to protect the
  regional environment.

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Tengiz Oil Field

• Estimated at up to 25 billion barrels (4 km³) of
  oil originally in place, Tengiz is the sixth
  largest oil field in the world
• Project of the Government of Kazakhstan Rapid
  situation assessment and concept of monitoring
  environmental, medical and social factors,
  associated with development of Tengiz Field for
  2006-2007

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Key stages of the Rapid Assessment

• Stage 1. INTEGRATED STUDY OF EFFECT OF SULFUR
  UPON ATYRAU REGION POPULATION HEALTH
• Effect of sulfur and its derivatives upon health
  (literature survey
• Social-hygienic complex characteristics of health
  of TChO employees and population living in the
  area of productive activity of TCO
• Results of epidemiological examination of the
  population of pilot villages of Atyrau oblast
  (Makhambet, Karaton and Dossor)
• Stage 2. CONCEPT OF MONITORING OF ENVIRONMENTAL,
  MEDICAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH TENGIZ
  DEPOSIT EVELOPMENT
• Basic Approaches and Principles of Situation
  Monitoring
• Monitoring of Subcomponents (Indicators of
  Objectives)
• Electronic Mapping in Tengiz Deposit Area
• Projection of Medical-and-Demographic Situation
  in Atyrau Region till 2025

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Challenges

• Support a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder
  initiative to achieve synergy from regional
  cooperation in the wider Caspian Sea area
• Conduction of multisectoral comprehensive
  researches in Caspian Region regarding climate,
  water, health, democracy, external relation among
  Caspian Countries and etc.
• Strengthening of scientists potentials of
  Caspian Countries
• Development long-term cooperation with EU
  scientists, institutions
• Involvement of key persons and policy makers to
  study process and results evaluation, as well as
  finding of solutions

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Conclusions

• To initiate regional activities, institutions and
  mechanisms on coordination between countries.
• To support initiatives emerging from the region
  and to strengthen partnership with scientists
  from other Caspian Countries and EU
• To develop scientists professionals capacity in
  Caspian Region