EcoLur
In 2020 the illegal structures on the shores of Lake Sevan will be demolished, as the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia Erik Grigoryan stated at the press conference held on December 25.
Responding to EcoLur's question whether a new plan of action to increase the level of Lake Sevan has been developed or not, and when clearing coastal areas from vegetation, trees and illegal structures is planned, Erik Grigoryan said: “The cleaning of Lake Sevan coastal areas is currently underway, moreover, it is carried out in a very complex, marshy area, where very large resources are provided. We have increased the funds for this project from the state budget for 2020-2021. Along with this we will have 700 hectares, that is, we will increase the cleaning of the forest areas up to 1901.5 m. We have gathered all the information about buildings and structures, and now we inventory them. Afterwards, the owners of illegal structures should be forced to dismantle the buildings. Failure to do so will result in state action, followed by appropriate requests to recover funds.”
The minister noted that there are two important issues related to Sevan: raising the level and reducing the flow of wastewater. This year, 143 million cubic meters of water were taken from Lake Sevan water instead of planned 170 million cubic meters. According to the Minister, Sevan has a clean cycle of 25-30 years and it is not possible to expect a significant change in 1-2 years.
"Previously it was thought that a 6 meter rise in the water level of Sevan could lead to a qualitative change in the lake, but in conditions of large wastewater discharge this solution is not sufficient," RA Minister of Environment said.
December 25, 2019 at 15:12