EcoLur
RA Environment Ministry has put into circulation draft governmental resolution "On defining the list of rivers prohibited for the construction of small hydroelectric power plants conditioned with being spawning sites for red-listed or endemic fish species or overloaded with derivation pipelines by 40% and over” on the website www.e-draft.am. The project prohibits the construction of SHPPs on 25 rivers.
1) Argitchi, 2) Masrik, 3) Karchaghbyur (Makenis), 4) Litchq, 5) Tsakkar, 6) Vardenis, 7) Gavaraget, 8) Dzknaget, 9) Voskepar, 10) Metsamor, 11) Yeghegis, 12) Vorotan , 13) Akhuryan, 14) Aghstev, 15) Arpa, 16) Bakhtak, 17) Debed, 18) Kistum Tributary to Debed River, 19) Dzoraget Tributary to Debed River, 20) Getik Tributary to Aghstev River, 21) Dali Tributary to Vorotan River ) Marmarik Tributary to Hrazdan River, 23) Goght Tributary to Azat River, 24) Karakaya Tributary to Yeghegis River, 25) Aysas Tributary to Karakaya Tributary.
According to the substantiation of the draft resolution, “The specification of the list of rivers were based on the results of the recent comprehensive study conducted by the Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology of Scientific Center for Zoology and Hydroecology of NAS RA and Department of Biology, Chemistry and Their Teaching Methods of the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh. Abovyan, as well as the results of the loading of small hydroelectric power plants on rivers presented by Water Resources Management Agency of Environment Ministry. The workload was calculated in terms of the total length of the diversion of small hydropower plants and the length of the river, expressed as a percentage.”
It should be mentioned that the Institute of Hydroecology and Ichthyology of Scientific Center for Zoology and Hydroecology of NAS RA and Department of Biology, Chemistry and Their Teaching Methods of the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh. Abovyan provided only information about red-listed species in the rivers.
EcoLur was the first to develop the method of calculating the load of rivers with SHPP derivative pipelines and applied this method back in 2014, assessing the risks of rivers overloaded with SHPPs, then EcoLur applied the same method to calculate the load of 70 rivers overloaded with SHPPs within the frameworks of UNDP/GEF-funded "Support to SHPP-relating reforms through the dialogue of public and RA Nature Protection Ministry for Sustainable Use of River Ecosystems” and "Supporting new reforms in SHPP sector through CSO-government dialogue" projects implemented in 2014-2018.
Within the frameworks of these very projects, Samvel Pipoyan, Associate Professor at Department of Biology, Chemistry and Their Teaching Methods of the Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh. Abovyan, as a Project Expert, studies the fish world of the river and the latest relevant data were published in the document entitled “Outcomes of "Supporting new reforms in SHPP sector through CSO-government dialogue" project.
RA Ministry of Nature Protection also took part in the implementation of these programs, which was provided with the results of the program, including the list of rivers overloaded with SHPP pipelines. However, the Ministry, using EcoLur's method of calculating river loads and program results, did not specify the author of the method, violating EcoLur's copyright. However, it is commendable that the work of EcoLur and the Project Expert Team continues to yield results and be used to address SHPP issues.
April 13, 2020 at 14:19