DISCUSSION․ Dust, Smoke, Tree Cutting: Who Is Responsible for Yerevan’s Heavy Air? 

A construction boom, tree replacement, and a growing number of vehicles in Yerevan-without adequate environmental assessments-are issues that are becoming increasingly acute in the capital. Criticism directed at the city authorities intensified particularly in 2025 in connection with tree cutting, fires at the Nubarashen landfill, the construction surge, dust and smoke caused by vehicle emissions, and other contributing factors.

 

In 2025 alone, nearly 1,600 trees were cut down in Yerevan. Within just one year, the number of vehicles in the city increased by 12,000. Over a ten-year period, the number of construction permits tripled, rising from 1,430 to 4,236.

 

These issues were discussed during a debate organized by Factor TV. The participants included Inga Zarafyan, President of  “EcoLur” NGO; Kristina Vardanyan, member of the Yerevan City Council and Associate Professor at the Department of Hygiene and Ecology of Yerevan State Medical University; and Gorik Avetisyan, Deputy Head of Environmental Protection Department of  Yerevan Municipality.