EcoLur
Nzhdeh Village, Syunik Region, (former Soflu Village) has 185 villagers. The village gets its irrigation water from the Ayri River. According to the local resident, the community got deprived of the irrigation water, when a SHPP was constructed on the river.
“The SHPP has cut off the river, they use all the water, just have a look at orchards, they are all dry. We used to have much water before SHPP construction,” said an elderly Nzhdeh resident in her interview with EcoLur.
In reply to the question whether they gave their agreement to the SHPP construction, the resident said, “No way, they didn’t ask for our consent, we were not even aware.” The resident has only one wish and demand, “To have water to support our children.”
EcoLur also had an interview with Nzhdeh community head Gegham Ohanyan on this topic:
EcoLur: Mr. Ohanyan, how is the problem with irrigation water regulated in your community?
Gegham Ohanyan: Our community has two residential areas – Nzhdeh Village and upper small Tsoghuni Village, where 10 families inhabit. Tsoghuni Village takes its irrigation water immediately from the village, there is not obstacle, while the main brooklet used for irrigation in Nzhdeh Village, which runs 200 meters in the village and which we rehabilitate every year.
The community is located far from the center and we don’t have any machinery. For that reason, we can’t rehabilitate the brooklet in hand every year: we need machinery.
The people don’t have money to invest and to bring machinery from remote place. We asked the SHPP administration and they laid a pipe across the village from the SHPP, and we all use this irrigation water.
EcoLur: Doesn’t SHPP operation hinder irrigation in the irrigation months, particularly in the summer?
Gegham Ohanyan: No, it doesn’t.
The material has been prepared in the frames of “Support to the Reforms of SHPPs through a Dialogue between the Public and The Ministry of Nature Protection of the RA for the Purpose of River Ecosystem Use” project.
September 09, 2015 at 11:58