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Azerbaijan is another country in the region facing severe water stress conditions, and where the annual average water exploitation index is above 30 %. The water exploitation index was estimated as 41.2 % in 2017 ⁽[1]⁾. As a result of climate conditions, only ¼ of total precipitation contributes to internal flow in the country’s water resources. Annual average renewable freshwater resources are decreasing. In 2000, they were 38 000 million m³, but in 2017 only 30 000 million m³ In Azerbaijan, agriculture is the sector with the highest water demand. Irrigation accounts for 90 % of total water abstraction every year, watering around 4.8 million ha of agricultural land, mainly lying in the lowlands of the Kura and Aras basins. In general, agricultural land occupies 55 % of the total country area with no significant change in extent over time. The agricultural sector employs 38 % of the country’s population (UNECE, 2011b). Water abstraction increased by 15 % between 2000-2017, while renewable freshwater resources decreased by 20 %.