According to the program of the Government of the Republic of Armenia for 2021-2026, the executive plans to carry out reliable and uninterrupted operation of the tunnel to ensure the capital repair works of separate emergency sections of the Arpa-Sevan tunnel. Under the Project, this will provide preconditions for the gradual increase in the level of Lake Sevan to ensure the balance of Lake Sevan ecosystem.
After many years of renovation, Arpa-Sevan tunnel became fully operational in 2020. According to the data available at the end of 2019, 158.636 million cubic meters of water flowed into Lake Sevan, 204.475 million cubic meters in 2020 and 156.675 million cubic meters in 2021. Especially in the last two years, the volume of water flowing into Lake Sevan through Arpa-Sevan Tunnel shows that only the uninterrupted operation of the tunnel and the increased capacity may not be enough to transport the planned amount of water to Lake Sevan due to increasing water shortages due to climate change.
However, this risk has not been considered in the program of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and may hinder the implementation of the goals of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on raising the level of Lake Sevan, preserving the ecosystem and restoring the ecological balance. Reminder: Lake Sevan had a negative balance in 2021.
Under the program, the Government of the Republic of Armenia should also carry out complete treatment of wastewater discharged from 3 wastewater treatment plants in the Lake Sevan basin, and establish relevant conditions for the installation of local stations for wastewater cleaning by operating business entities and installation of equipment.
It should be noted that the 2022 annual program of measures for the restoration, preservation, reproduction, normal development and use of the Lake Sevan ecosystem envisages that about 2400 recreational and food facilities located on the shores of Lake Sevan, out of which 300 are permanent, will have to build and operate biological wastewater treatment plants at their own expenses. Modern local treatment plants should be installed in the littoral rural communities of the lake. These measures should be implemented in 2022 and in the following years.
By law, all communities must have wastewater treatment plants by 2030. The technical requirements for wastewater disposal in community settlements, including requirements for drainage systems, treatment structures, methods, technologies, processes, and their application schedules by communities or settlements shall be determined by a decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. Such a decision has not been reached yet.
February 09, 2022 at 19:26