THE scars left by industrial pollutionhave failed to heal in Sumgait, a formerindustrial city located near Azerbaijan'scapital, Baku. Plans to repair the damage done to the city's ecology andeconomy have remained on paper dueto interference from the industriallobby and some politicians.
Sumgait was known as the 'deadzone' in the 1980s when 32 chemicalsand, metals plants emitted 120,000tonnes of waste a year and 36 of every1,000 babies died before they were ayear old. As most of the plants beganclosing down following the collapse ofthe Soviet Union, the InternationalMonetary Fund suggested evacuatingthe population of 330,000 and deserting Sumgait entirely. The plan wasrejected and most of the people havestayed on without any work. The infantmortality rate is nearly three times thatof the US. A project devised by the UN totransform the city into a 'special economic zone' has been languishing inthe Parliament for a year now. Theindustrial lobby has been stronglyopposing it as the project would ham-per their illegal interests, says PaoloLembo, the UN resident coordinator forAzerbaijan.