EcoLur
The State Committee for Water Industry of Territorial Administration Ministry and the Pan-Armenian Environmental Front (PEF) are arguing about stealing water from Lake Sevan. On its website the Committee responded to PEF’s article entitled “Sevan Water Stolen” and its video, “The information and facts presented in the article “Sevan Water Stolen” and its video are marred, while the comments are unilateral and don’t reflect the reality completely.”
In August 2014 it’s planned to start rehabilitation works in the most dangerous parts of Arpa-Sevan tunnel. As a result, the tunnel was closed, the water of Lake Secan is not transferred, while construction works are carried out in line with the schedule. It should be mentioned tat 118 million cum water has already flown to Lake Sevan out of 120 million cum water laid down in the plan for 2014.
In reply, the PEF has disseminated a statement, which says,
“The shot videos proved whatever Vayots Dzor residents insisted on for already three years: a part of the water is stolen from Arpa-Sevan tunnel and is directed down the river to ensure water for continuous operation of SHPPs and super profits for certain people.
1. The reply says that the tunnel was closed in August 2014 and water doesn’t flow to Lake Sevan, which was planned beforehand, but the same committee provided us information on 11 June, which said the tunnel will be closed starting from 1 September and not August.
2. The reply says that the water shot in the video is used by “Yeghegnadzor” water using company only for irrigation purposes, the demand of which makes up around 2.8 m3/sec. The rest of the water (around 0.5 m3/sec) is left as sanitary flow to solve the environmental issues. In July we showed the disastrous state of the Yeghegis River on the photos, which clearly show that it’s rather ridiculous to speak about the environmental flow and solution to the environmental problems.
In our opinion, hindering the rise in the level of Lake Sevan is only a part of the state criminal policy, which is within the interests of SHPP owners.
August 28, 2014 at 16:47