Masazyr Lake in Azerbaijan is among the country’s most captivating natural wonders. One of the world’s rare pink lakes, it changes its color depending on the season, time of the day, or weather. However, environmentalists warn leaking sewage and wastewater, as well as overall negligence is harming the lake and surrounding habitat.

The lake, located 20 kilometers from the capital Baku, was once used for spa treatments—people would soak in the mud to treat bronchitis, nervous system disorders, skin and joint diseases. For generations, locals, some of whom still call it by its old name “Shor” ( şor - “salty” in Azerbaijani), relied on it for salt, which they used for cooking and preserving food—or, when times were hard—to barter with other communities for needed commodities.

“Before the 1990s, people would collect salt for limited personal use due to its storage difficulty, and would never sell it or make a business out of it, as it was cheap and not worth the effort,” Lala Abuzarova adds. Today, Masazyr Lake has become one of the country’s top salt producers, thanks in large part to a salt refinery built nearby in 2010. Locals are no longer allowed to collect salt from its shores for personal use, however.

The number of people living near the lake has slowly grown, affecting the local environment.  The process started in the late 1980s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some families displaced during the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan were resettled in the area and, in the 2000s, the population boomed.

Once known for the healing properties of its mud and the nearby almond groves, Masazyr Lake is now a changed landscape. New suburbs, such as Villa Badam (Almond Villa), have replaced the almond trees and a chain-linked fence obstructs access to the lake.

“The increased buildings in the areas surrounding the lake and the growing number of hard surfaces (asphalt and concrete surfaces) without proper drainage, as well as the construction of the sewage system, have reduced the rain and groundwater entering the lake,” notes environmentalist Dr. Rovshan Abbasov. “This has a negative effect on the water flow of the lake and therefore there is a danger that the lake will dry up.”

Over the past several years, new sewage pipes have been laid in the two closest villages—Masazyr and Novkhany—but they restrain the natural water flow and cause wastewater to leak back into the lake. Additional discharge from nearby Binagadi Lake is also being pumped into Masazyr Lake, adding to the pollution.

Dr. Abbasov notes that the best solution to prevent the possible drying of the lake is to clean the runoff and wastewater—the current main source of water—and allow it to flow back to Masazyr Lake. He adds, however, that for generations the lake has been treated as a resource to be exploited, not a treasure to be preserved. 

The residents of Novkhany village regret the loss of access to the lake, which they view as part of their village. Many notes that salt from the lake once helped their families during the lean years. Today, they are left without.

Najiba Karimova, who used to write as a columnist for various newspapers under the pseudonym “Shorlu” (from Shor) says the local environment has been in poor shape since the end of the 1980s, when wastewater began leaking into the lake. “Residents of Novkhany village are so upset with the state of the lake—the fence around it and the polluted water—that they try not to even look at it these days or buy any salt produced from it,” Najiba says.

Salt miner Azer Hadiyev from Masazyr village says the weather patterns are changing. “It used to be warmer in May. It should be hot enough to boil and bring the salt up. This year it didn't rain well on time. In the years when it rains a lot in January-February, then in April-May, the weather is warmer and there is already a good harvest.”

A second-generation salt miner, Rais Huseynbalayev from Masazyr village still works in the business with his family. A salt refinery recruited him as the team lead, who is responsible for recruiting miners, overseeing the equipment, and collecting and delivering salt to the factory.

“Masazyr Lake is an open space that faces the tragedy of the commons,” notes Dr. Rovshan Abbasov. “Everything is only about exploiting it and the wellbeing of the lake and cultural values of the lake ecosystem have been ignored. cultural values of the lake ecosystem. That process will not end if the lake continues to lose its value.”

This photo story was prepared with support from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) South Caucasus Regional Office. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of FES.

This photo story was produced in the framework of the Chai Khana Fellowship program - Spring 2023.