EcoLur
Nature Protection Ministry has replied to EcoLur’s letter in regard with the issues of Lake Sevan. Reminder: “EcoLur” Informational NGO has dispatched proposals to RA National Assembly Chairman Hovik Abrahamyan, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, RA Nature Protection Minister Aram Harutyunyan and Vladimir Movsisyan, Chairman of Lake Sevan Issues Committee by the President of Armenia.
1) to strictly comply with the requirement of RA Law “On Lake Sevan”,
2) To consider Lake Sevan as a potential strategic reserve of drinking water and applying the existing standards,
3) To redistribute budget funds allotted for the state program on the recovery, preservation, reproduction and natural development and usage of Lake Sevan ecosystem, including local communities as co-implementers at least in the part of recovering trout population and shore cleaning,
4) To ensure positive balance of Lake Sevan agreeing all legislative amendments with the Scientific-Expert Committee on Lake Sevan Preservation by NAS RA,
5) to declare illegal all the capital construction lower than 1908 meters above sea level,
6) to ban prolongation of term of operating SHPs and the construction of new HPPs on rivers flowing into Lake Sevan,
7) to set up a fish farm-reserve on the basis of Ltchavan Lake for the breeding and preservation of maternal composition of endemic fish species and ensure strict control.”
Nature Protection Ministry has referred to EcoLur's proposal point by point:
'Point 1. Nature Protection Ministry, in the frames of the authorities concerning Lake Sevan issues, is guided by the requirements of RA 'Law on Lake Sevan' dated on 15 May 2001 and RA Law 'On State Complex program on the recovery, preservation, reproduction and natural development and usage of Lake Sevan ecosystem' adopted on 14 December 2001, as well as other appropriate bylaws.'
'Point 2. Issues of water resource management have undergone a separate stage of basin management plans and during Lake Sevan basin management plan development Lake Sevan with its water component will be considered as a strategic potential reserve of drinking water.
' Point 3. The reports of the examination carried out by Scientific Center of Hydroecology and Ichthyology of NAS RA (2011, 2012) says that the populations of summer bakhtak (Salmo ischchan aestivalis) and gegharkuni (Salmo ischchan gegarkuni) fish species are formed in Lake Sevan and the majority of 3+ 4+ and 5+ years old fish are ready for reproduction.
The set up committees agree that communities with labour force and technical-transportation facilities will be co-implementers of the aforementioned program measures. The proposals drawn up on the regulation of Lake Sevan issues as a result of the joint discussions with community representatives, Scientific Center of Hydroecology and Ichthyology of NAS RA, NGOs, Gegharkounik Regional Administration experts will be taken into consideration in the development and implementation of State Complex program on the recovery, preservation, reproduction and natural development and usage of Lake Sevan ecosystem.
'Point 4. Under the requirements of Article 276 of RA Law 'On State Complex program on the recovery, preservation, reproduction and natural development and usage of Lake Sevan ecosystem' adopted on 14 December 2001, the target indications for the lake level increasing rates for the early 2013 shall make up 2.4 meters (31.6 cm per year). As of 1 January 2013, the level of Lake Sevan made up 1900.10m, which is higher by 3.6m as compared with that of 2001 (1896.46m) factually exceeded the indicator prescribed by law for the lake level increase.'
February 07, 2013 at 15:08