EcoLur
EcoLur sends this material as enquiry to the Ministry of Territorial Administration of RA, the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of RA and the Committee on Lake Sevan Issues under the President of RA on behalf of 5 community heads, i.e. Geghovit, Madina, Vaghashen, Nergin Getashen and Verin Getashen situated in Gegharkounik Marz.
“The problem of Lake Sevan is very acute. We do everything to save Sevan: spend money, transfer roads, cut down forests. A tunnel was constructed from Vayots Dzor (Arpa - Sevan) in order to give water to Sevan, but here somebody sends the river from Sevan to the Caspian Sea.” This statement was made by Head of Gegharkounik Administration Vardan Ghukasyan at the meeting with community representatives, the Aarhus Center in Gavar, EcoLur working group which was dedicated to the problem of small hydro power plant construction on the Argichi River in the area of Selim Pass.
The locals raised an alarm signal. “We learnt about it by chance, we saw huge construction in progress,” said the Head of Nerkin Getashen Village Karo Gevorgyan. On the photos (see photo report on www.ecolur.org) one can clearly see the ready weir and a dug canal of 1.5 km that should take the river from its former riverbed and direct the flow from Sevan to Vayots Dzor. The river is the only irrigation source for 5 communities, such as Geghovit, Madina, Vaghashen, Nergin Getashen and Verin Getashen with a population of 26,800 people and irrigation territory of 6,850 ha.
“In August when it’s too hot we can even quarrel for irrigation water. But today we are deprived of it. Somebody will earn money on electricity, though water is vital for us,” said the Head of Vaghasen Artur Suvaryan.
The Head of Environmental Department of Gegharkunik Regional Municipality Hambardzum Hambardzumyan thinks this problem touches upon not only these five communities. “Lake Sevan and 87 communities are directly exposed,as the Argichi River has major significance for spawning of endemic fish species – the trout and whitefish recorded in the Red Book of Armenia. Annually the Government spends money on increasing the number of the endemic fish, raises young fish and let them out into the lake,” he said, “this is a national and strategic task.”
Whoever Gegharkunik Region Head rang up to clear up this situation, nobody knew about the construction commencement - neither communities, nor regional administration, nor the Minister of Nature Protection. “Nobody told us anything about it, though it’s an administrative territory of the region and one should have a permit signed by the Region Head to start a construction,” said Vardan Ghukasyan and added, “I think it to be a mistake and I don’t believe it to be with official permission.”
The communities are not going to give their consent for the construction of a small hydro power plant. Our people are definitely against this. The question who showed initiative and started to invest money in a wide-scale construction will still have no answers. Under non-specified data, this is “Hydrocroporation” LLC that started construction on the basis of its old permit and without renewing its documents.
The meeting participants expressed a wish on their behalf to present this article as an enquiry to the Ministry the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of RA, Ministry of Territorial Administration of RA and the Committee on Lake Sevan Issues under the President of RA.
June 24, 2010