Litchq Community Head: "We Don't Have Problems with Water At All"

EcoLur

In the framework of the project entitled “Support to SHPP-relating Reforms Through the Dialogue of Public and RA Nature Protection Ministry for Sustainable Use of River Ecosystems” EcoLur visited Litchq Community, Syunik Region. According to the offical information. Litchq community has 201 residents, the community head says the number is 115. The main occupation is agriculture and cattle breeding, they use the water of the Meghri River as irrigation source, where a SHPP has been constructed.

In reply to the qeustion whether SHPP causes problems for irrigation, Litchq resident said, 'Down the village where the pastures are located, half of them have dried out. There is much water in the river, but it flows into the pipe.'

In reply to the same question Litchq community head Hovhannes Mirzoyan said in his phone talk with us, 'From the very beginning we arranged with the SHPP owners that they will build te water intake section down the village in order not to disturb the irrigation. They did this way. Their water intake is located down the villager, where there are non-cultivated land areas,' Hovhannes Mirzoyan said and assured that the owners themselves don't want to culitvate their land areas. 'They don't even cultivate their own land parcels,' the community head added. He mentioned though the SHPP administration hasn't made any essential investments for the community, he is content, as all the employees are from the community. According to him, 6-7 villagers work at thee SHPP with monthly salary  of 60,000 – 80,000 AMD.

Besides the operating SHPP, there is another SHPP in the process of construction in the community area. According to the community head, the second SHPP won't disturb the irrigation, as they don't make use of that section of the river. Despite it, the SHPP administration will provide 5 million AMD to change drinking and irrigation water pipeline. Hovhannes Mirzoyan also said as they don't have a company of water users, the rural community regulates irrigation water, the irrigation water is gravity and the villagers don't pay any fee for water. "We don't have problems with water at all," Litchq Community Head concluded.

January 28, 2016 at 15:22