EcoLur
"Veolia Jur" CJSC has left 30 families in Sarchapet Village, Lori Region, without any drinking water: EcoLur has received an alarm signal from the residents of Sarchapet.
Sarchapet Community Head Boris Baroyan said when the water pipelines were laid within the Asian Development Bank project; three streets have been left out of the project. As a matter of fact, 30 families have been left without water: they have to use the water of the spring located in the village or carry water with buckets from neighbours.
Under the Community Head, Veolia Jur" CJSC started operating in the village at the beginning of the year, when the problem with no-water streets hadn’t been solved. With their own money the residents constructed a water pipeline and applied to “Veolia Jur” Company to become subscribers. “Veolia Jur” Company rejected their application saying that the water pipeline constructed by them is illegal. According to the company, the residents didn’t have a right to construct a water pipeline. Now, each family must be fined in the amount of 150,000 AMD and then allow to become a new subscriber. The company knows that designing a project is related to huge amount of money and it’s beyond our powers. We have already constructed the water pipeline and we are donating it to them asking to accept the applications, make people subscribers and sell water to them,” Sarchapet Community Head Boris Baroyan said and added it’s already 15 days since “Veolia Jur” Company has blocked the water pipeline and left the residents without any water.
Sarchapet Community Head Boris Baroyan also said that there is water conflict with “Veolia Jur” Company also in other communities such as Dzoramut, Petrovka and Norashen. “There is no agreement, but there are problems and we can’t come to a consensus with Veolia. For these three communities I have proposed to install water meters and to make the residents subscribers, but they don’t agree,” Boris Baroyan said.
There is also a problem in the residential area called Gogavan, which is adjacent to Gogavan-Privolnoe customs, where 10 families live. “The water pipeline runs to the customs, so I have asked “Veolia Jur” Company” to make the families in this residential area subscribers, but the company answered that the water pipeline is owned by the customs, and the residents can use it only reaching an agreement with the customs house.
EcoLur has sent an enquiry on this matter to General Manager of “Veolia Jur” Company Christian Lefaix requesting to inform:
1. What are the legal grounds of blocking the water pipeline of three streets in Sarchapat Community leaving the residents without any drinking water?
2. What are the grounds of “Veolia Jur” Company’s rejection to residents’ subscription application?
3. What are the legal grounds of imposing a fine by the company on the community residents?
4. What are the grounds on not concluding contracts with the residents inhabiting in Dzoramut, Petrovka and Norashen rural communities and Gogavan residential area?
5. Whether “Veolia Jur” Company doesn’t think that the rights of the residents in the aforementioned communities to access to natural resources and sustainable use have been violated, particularly their right to water.
Photo is takenfrom www.wikipedia.org web site.
December 08, 2017 at 15:29