At the scientific seminar of the Institute of Geography named after Academician H. Aliyev of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a report was made by senior researcher of the Department of Geomorphology and Natural Risks, Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Associate Professor Stara Tarikhazar. A report was heard on the participation of the institute’s employees in the International Scientific and Practical Conference, held in Kazakhstan, in Almaty.

Stara Tarikhazar made a welcoming speech at a state-level event dedicated to the topic “Flood safety - 50 years of Kazsolezashchita’s activities: current situation and prospects.” Stressing that the study of floods is of great importance for Azerbaijan, the scientist noted that our country uses new methods to identify the risks of natural disasters, prepare measures in accordance with the risks, eliminate or reduce their impact. According to her, statistics on catastrophic events show that at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, almost every 100 thousand people died from natural disasters. That is, over the past 100 years, 16 thousand people die annually in the world. Over the past few years, property damage caused by natural disasters has exceeded $300 billion. Today, one of the most important factors in the sustainable development of countries is the allocation of a special place to disaster risk reduction.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 15,247 natural and man-made incidents occurred in Azerbaijan in 2022. Compared to 2021 (14,730 incidents), such cases increased by 4%. According to the department, in 2022, 55 people were killed in emergency situations and another 206 people were injured, while in 2021 these figures were 87 and 278 people, respectively. Over the 9 months of this year (January-September), 12,425 natural and man-made incidents were recorded on the territory of Azerbaijan. As a result of these events, 48 people were killed and another 181 were injured. 13% of the country's territory (more than 10 thousand km2) is affected by dangerous geodynamic processes, including 1300 km2 in the zone of flood processes.

At the same time, she noted that 20% of Azerbaijani lands, which were under occupation for almost 30 years, were liberated in 44 days, and as a result of the operation, which was completed in 23 hours in September, our country is conducting construction work and that all this is connected with large-scale reforms carried out in our republic.

Then S. Tarikhazar made a report “Application of quantitative methods for assessing the landslide hazard of the Girdimanchay and Agsuchay river basins prone to floods.”

The geographer noted that the country is using new methods to eliminate or reduce the impact of natural disaster risks. According to her, the study area is divided into five zones according to the degree of landslide hazard: very low, low, medium, high and very high. GIS-based landslide susceptibility maps were generated using statistical models. The results of the analysis of the selected factors were then combined using spatial analytical equations and sensitivity was assessed.

The speeches of the Azerbaijani scientist were highly appreciated by the conference participants, and further prospects for cooperation between some participating organizations and the Institute of Geography were considered.