EcoLur
The SHP project on Daranak River, a part of the drainage basin of Lake Sevan, may destroy the ecosystem of the Daranak River. The regime of Lake Sevan drainage system is regulated with RA Law “On Lake Sevan”, the experts of the environmental expertise of Nature Protection Ministry make a reference not to the law itself, but to a bylaw – governmental decision № 927 dated on 30 June 2011, which says the sanitary flow is determined with the minimum drain within last 10 days. In the case, the sanitary flow of the water will make up only0.013 liters per second and 0.007 liters per second, i.e. the Daranak River will be left without any water in the range of 1/3 of its length. The specialized public hearings on Daranak SHP project were held on 19 February organized by “Agrospasarkum” CJSC, Vardenis Territorial Union of Agro Union. The project developers didn’t attend the public hearings, the representatives of Daranak community were not present either. The following people took part in the hearings: Heriqnaz Mkrtchyan, an expert of State Environmental Expertise of Nature Protection Ministry, invited expert Gevorg Chobanyan, Hayk Harutyunyan Director of “Agrospasarkum” CJSC, Vardenis Territorial Union of Agro Union, Yerevan Aarhus Center Coordinator Silva Ayvazyan, Coordinator of Environmental Public Alliance Silva Adamyan and EcoLur’s working group – Inga Zarafyan, Gagik Qochinyan and Nikolay Davtyan.
EcoLur presents the video recording of the public hearings and the script:
Heriqnaz Mkrtchyan: “The working project on Daranak SHP was worked out and many remarks were taken into consideration. We have the positive opinion of the community and opinions from our agencies, Scientific-Expert Committee on Lake Sevan preservation of NAS RA. The committee has posed the demands, which should have been taken into consideration. Vladimir Movsisyan gave his opinion, if these requirements are implemented at the stage of the construction and during its operation, the committee won’t oppose to it.”
Gevorg Chobanyan: “The Daranak River doesn’t flow into Lake Sevan, it dried up near its coast. This is a small river, I can even say, it’s a brook, and the SHP is also very small, which will operate on two tributaries above the village using 5 million cubic meters of water. The project envisages all the environmental measures to reduce the damage. Thus, 1.7 ha of territory will be used for the building of the station, 5 ha will be used on temporary basis. It would be a mistake to say no damage will be incurred, but there is no fauna and vegetation cover.”
Silva Ayvazyan: “A draft law on making amendments in RA Law “On Lake Sevan” is now drafted, which says it’s banned to construct SHPs on the rivers flowing to Lake Sevan. And it would be right, if we had the opinion of Hydroecology Institute.”
Silva Adamyan: “I read Mr. Movsisyan’s opinion (Chairman of Scientific-Expert Committee on Lake Sevan Preservation), which doesn’t say anything. I wonder how he could write such a note. The public won’t be pleased. There is such a system as National Academy of Sciences, research institutes, who deal with these issues, let them give an opinion.”
Hayk Harutyunyan: “As a matter of fact, it’s not a river, but a brook and it has no fish within, while its water doesn’t flow into the lake. The water is filtered into the ground, sand in a distance of 500 meters. Just the project developers said, that we laid a passage for the fish in the project, in case water flow increases, and we laid it. There is no flora, I can’t say anything about fauna, let’s go and have a look.”
Inga Zarafyan: “The project says they will 0.007 l/s water in the river for one power knob and 0.013 l/s for the other that is half a bucket and one bucket of water. So how we can speak about the conservation of the river ecosystem or preservation of the landscape? This regime should be maintained all year round for dozens of year until the SHP operates. What are the environmental norms it complied with?”
Heriqnaz Mkrtchyan: “There is a governmental decision (note by EcoLur: decision N 927 dated on 30 June 2011) which lays down the sanitary flow is determined with the minimum drain within last 10 days). We are performers and we are guided by this decision. Let the Committee on Regulation of Public Services not issues a license, meanwhile the expert is blamed for everything.”
Inga Zarafyan: “We have a law, which stands higher than a bylaw, governmental decision, this is RA Law “On Lake Sevan”, RA Law “On Flora”, RA Law “On Fauna” and eventually the UN Convention on Biodiversity. All these laws stand higher than a government decision, but the project three times makes a reference to the decision and no reference to the requirements of the law. They make a reference to the Red Books of Armenia published in 1987 and 1989 and they don’t know these books, which have the force of a law, have already been expired, as new Red Book of Armenia was published in 2011, which include an increased list of rare and extinct species. This Red Book has a force of law, but the project developers don’t mention anything about it.
You say the river doesn’t get to Lake Sevan, but your project says that Daravank is a river flowing into Sevan. This is its official status. Maybe now the water doesn’t get into the lake, but it will later. Or you want to change the status of a river because of a SHP? So what, a revolution? You are taking one-third water into pipes. Here there is no sense to speak about changes in landscapes, it will be destroyed. You speak about measures reducing harmful impact. But the main condition is the water, which you don’t leave by making a reference to the government decision.
The project says it should comply with European and international standards, but it doesn’t say anything how these standards should be ensured. It makes a reference to the expired data, which don’t comply with the reality. It doesn’t say anything how the requirements of the national legislation should be enforced.”
February 21, 2013 at 16:45