EcoLur
The residents of Apaga Village, Armavir Region, have for many years been deprived of the opportunity to engage in full-scale agriculture to cultivate their land areas. The problem of irrigation water needed to cultivate more than 50 hectares of community land is solved by the installation of 270 m long closed water pipes.
This work is being carried out under within the frameworks of “Enabling Women to Participate in Sustainable Water Management in Armenia” project implemented by Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment (AWHHE) NGO and funded by UNDEF.
Artificial lakes in the fields served as irrigation water in the community. However, their distance from the land and the flow of water through the land has hampered carrying out agricultural works. Qnarik Grigoryan, an expert at AWHHE, told EcoLur: "The water has gone through the land in the past. People have irrigated their lands less than the amount of water intended for the agricultural season because they had no money. The income received did not cover their expenses, the amount paid for all the work done during the season. This causes the farmer to refuse to carry out agricultural works."
Future Community Head Petros Avagyan said on this occasion: “Due to the project we have laid a pipeline, there is very little water loss. When it’s the resident’s time to water his land areas, 2 minutes later the water is near his land area, it can open the valve and water it. People used to spend 20 hours on watering alfalfa fields, now they will do it in 10 hours of irrigation, as the irrigation time was cut in half, the villagers will pay less than 12,000 AMD."
The pipeline construction project was developed directly by the community's active residents. The project beneficiary, Nunufar Markosyan, head of Staff of Apaga Community Municipality, noted: “About 50 hectares of plow lands will be irrigated, with 50 households benefiting. The project provided an opportunity to increase the role of women in the community. In parallel with these works, the complete solution of the irrigation water problem in Apaga Community will be done through state support.”
Petros Avagyan told EcoLur, “We will build a pumping station on the artificial lake. After its accomplishment, the irrigation water problem in the community will be resolved by about 95%.”
Photo Credit: AWHHE NGO
Video: Apaga Community
March 31, 2020 at 12:14