EcoLur
EcoLur has sent a letter to Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan on the water problems existing in Sayat Nova and Hayanist communities in Ararat Region and Artashar and Taronik communities in Armavir Region. Attached to the letter are four application-petitions by the residents of the aforementioned communities on the restitution of their violated right to water. The letter by EcoLur says:
“Dear Prime Minister,
Unfair distribution of water in the communities, the availability of water with relevant quality and amount needed for health and life is a serious problem. The violations of right to water have led to conflicts and deterioration of the social situation.
Within the frames of USAID-funded “Participatory Utilization and Resource Efficiency of Water (PURE Water)” project, the team of “EcoLur” Informational NGO has implemented “Protect Your Right to Water” project and examined drinking and irrigation water access and quality in Sayat Nova and Hayanist communities in Ararat Region and Artashar and Taronik communities in Armavir Region.
Over the recent 15 years, the water intake through drilled wells in Ararat Valley has made up around 55 cum/s, which exceeded the average water amount by about 21 cum/s or 650 million cum/year. Out of 55 cum/s, 25 cum/s or 1100 million cum/s made up the water intake for fish breeding. The permissible limit of the water intake for fish farms shouldn't exceed 12 cum/s, while the water intake is by 23 cum/s more than the statutory one, which, on an annual basis, makes up around 720 million cum/y.
Our pilot examinations in the aforementioned 4 communities have revealed that:
- 130 ha land area is not irrigated in Sayat Nova Community because of the absence of water, while not all houses in this water have tap drinking water.
- Getashen neighborhood in Hayanist Community doesn’t have drinking water at all for already 30 years: 60 ha of agricultural land areas have been recognized as arid because of the absence of water.
- For many years, the sewage of Metsamor and Armavir Towns have been flowing into the irrigation system of Artashar and Zartonq communities in Armavir Region and are supplied to the communities as irrigation water.
- Taronik community in Armavir Region doesn’t have irrigation water.
The Republic of Armenia must ensure people’s fundamental right to access water.
We are applying to you in order to ensure the exercise of the right of the residents of Sayat Nova and Hayanist communities in Ararat Region and Artashar and Taronik communities in Armavir Region to have drinking and irrigation water of relevant quality and quantity.
We are proposing:
- To have a statutory definition of the human right to water ensuring complete access to water of relevant quality necessary for life and health preservation,
- In line with the requirement of RA Water Code adopted in 2002, to develop and adopt RA Law “On Drinking Water”,
- In line with the requirement of RA Water Code, to establish regulations defining water standards,
- To take radical actions to exclude the overexploitation of water resources of artesian basin in Ararat Valley to recover the balance of the groundwater.
- To review the legal relations of the companies dealing with the distribution and supply of drinking and irrigation water to ensure fair distribution of drinking and irrigation water.This publication has been prepared within the frames of “Protect Your Right to Water” project with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), whereas the opinions expressed or the content of the publications don’t necessarily represent the official views and opinions of USAID.
July 31, 2019 at 17:00