Water

the human rights defender applied to the Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration with written request to delegate the governors of Vayots Dzor and Gegharkunik regions to give permission for construction of HPP

As the Aarhus Center in Gavar informed EcoLur, on 19 July at 10:30 a.m. more than 500 residents from 6 villages in Gegharkounik Region blocked the Sevan highway running to Martouni.The reason for this protest demonstration is the construction of a small hydropower plant on the Argitchi River that must collect water from the biggest river flowing into Sevan.

…Though the State Environmental Inspection imposed a ban on the further construction of a small hydropower plant on the Argitchi River, “Zangezour Eximp” Company recommenced the civil works…

According to our sources from the Nature Protection Ministry, still in 2006 "Hydrocorporation" CJSC was issued a permit for water consumption aiming to construct a hydropower plant on the Argitchi River. Besides, “State Environmental Expert Group” State Non-Environmental Organization of the same ministry gave a positive environmental impact assessment opinion to "Hydrocorporation" for constructing “Argitchi” small hydropower plant.

Construction of a hydropower plant (HPP) on the river Argichi is like "white genocide", ecologist Knarik Hovhannisyan told ArmInfo correspondent.

Acidic squeezing of mines (water flowing down out of the mines) is one of the most serious threats emerging as a result of ore extraction and posing to territorial waters. This acidic squeezing may spoil (steadily) pollute rivers, streams and water life for hundreds of years (thousands of years under favorable conditions).

"The drainage system in the cemetery is not isolated which means arsenic and other toxic elements in the cemetry will be absorbed together with rain water to lower layers and, eventually, will appear in the Lalvar river, then into the Debed River," said Director of the Center for Ecological Noosphere Studies of NAS RA Armen Saghatelyan.

Though the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA says speaking about changing the Argitchi riverbed flowing into Lake Sevan is unsubstantiated, environmentalists insist the water-carrying system being built on Gayladzor stream of the Argitchi River can leave five villages in Gegharkounik Region without any water.

Scandal with small hydro power plant construction on the River Argichi going forward. This construction started on the basis of a permit for land irrigation belonging to Aghnjadzor Community in Vayots Dzor. Everything would be O.K., but the permit did expire in fall 2009 that makes this construction illegal.

Argichi is the largest of 28 rivers that flow into Lake Sevan. It accounts for an estimated 12 centimeters of the lake’s waters and is used for irrigation purposes by about 30,000 residents in the six nearby villages. If the plans to change the bed of the stream that flows into the Argichi, Galyadzor, are realized, some water will be redirected towards Vayots Dzor in central Armenia, which is on the opposite side of Lake Sevan.

The Press Service of the Territorial Administration of RA gave a response to the alarm signal raised by EcoLur about five communities in Gegharkounik Region, Geghovit, Vaghashen, Verin Getashen and Nerkin Getashen to be left without water becuase of the cosntruction of a small hydro power plant on the Argichi River.

“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.”

On 16 June took place the meeting of community heads of Geghahovit, Madina, Verin Getashen, Vaghashek with the regional administration, the Aarhus Center in Gavar and “EcoLur” NGO in Gegharkounik Regional Municipality.

The S.O.S. alarm from GegHarkunik region. The building of the new small hydro power plant in Sevan Basin is against RA Low “On Lake Sevan” and nature.

Cleaning Getar and Voghjaberd riverbeds was conducted in the administrative territories of 5 quarters in the capital, Nor Nork, Avan, Kentron, Erebuni and Shengavit. Cleaning in four of them, Nor Nork, Avan, Erebuni and Shengavit, has already finished.

“Armenia has the highest potential for renewable energy development among the Caucasian countries,” said Thomas Lubeck, the World Bank group member and Head of IFC Regional Office in the Caucasus. Together with Ameriabank Director General Artak Anesyan Thomas Lubeck visited the construction square for a small hydro power plant in Jermouk.

Under “Yerevanjur” CJSC Rental Agreement Director Varazdat Avoyan, losses in the water supply system make up 80%. Certain part of these losses have technical nature, the rest is due to human factor.

This year all our natural and artificial reservoirs are filled with water up to the top due to rainy water. The irrigation season hasn’t even started, but tasks in the irrigation system don’t become fewer. Losses in the system, illegal water intake, water fee collection level – still not the whole range of the existing issues.