President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a ceremony to mark completion of a project on the reconstruction of water supply and sewage systems of Guba city.

The president of the "AzerSu" Open Joint Stock Company, Gorkhmaz Huseynov, informed the President that measures aimed at improving drinking water supply of the rural population were continuing as part of the state program on the socioeconomic development of districts. The project on the reconstruction of water supply and sewage systems of Guba city carried out within this framework with a view to future development up to 2035 is also designed to dramatically improve water and sanitation services provided to 46,000 people of Guba city, Krasnaya Sloboda settlement and the villages of Mirzamamedkand and Timirazyev. As part of the project, a new office building meeting modern requirements has been built for the Guba water department.

President Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva reviewed the office building.

It was noted that the building with a total area of 1,150 square meters has a SCADA control center. One of the measures taken in this direction has been the establishment of a Geographic Information System. The system introduced in Guba city will enable management of the entire network infrastructure by digital maps based on geographic data in the future. This system has won two prestigious international competitions.

It was noted that the project on the reconstruction of water supply and sewage systems of Guba was financed from the state budget and the work was completed in 22 months. According to the project, the Gudyalchay river has been chosen as a source of continuous drinking water supply of Guba city and surrounding residential settlements. Considering the fact that water is supplied to the northern part of the city by gravity, a rainwater drain-type facility 2,435 meters in length has been built on the Gudyalchay river. Two parallel main water lines with a total length of 6,450 meters have been extended from the water source to the distribution reservoir. To ensure uninterrupted water supply of the Guba city population, four reservoirs with a combined capacity of 14,000 cubic meters have been built on the highest location of the city. As part of the project, a 190-km water distribution network has been established in Guba. A total of 9,525 households have been connected to it and 8,900 provided with smart-card meters.

In accordance with the project, a 216-km sewage network connected to all households has been built in Guba city. The wastewater currently collected in the city flows through existing reservoirs. In the future, the sewage will be sent into the treatment plant to be built near the city of Khachmaz.

President Ilham Aliyev was informed about the SCADA system. It was noted that the system, which is intended to manage water and sewage systems from a single center, enables online regulation of water supply to consumers. The system automatically controls the volume of water in reservoirs, the operation of valves, outlet and network pressure, etc. It is also capable of determining the coordinates of breakdowns occurring on the lines and ensuring prompt elimination of the problem. In addition, the new system immediately detects the areas whose water supply was interrupted in the aftermath of a breakdown. The geographic information system serves as a database. The system is integrated with other databases used at the "AzerSu" OJSC, such as the customer notification system, SCADA, electronic document management, safety and security. It also enables registration of users on the map, prompt solution of problems raised through the "hot line", provision of immediate response to occurring breakdowns, monitoring of their elimination and receipt of detailed information about each water and sewage infrastructure facility.

Then, President Ilham Aliyev started the installation supplying water into the network.

It was also indicated that the building operates a modern new laboratory. It will examine 14 important parameters of drinking water. If more thorough and accurate analyses are required, samples will be sent to a central laboratory in Baku in special vehicles. In order to strengthen the material and technical infrastructure, 11 vehicles and special machinery have been purchased.