EcoLur
To Anahit Simonyan, Head of UNIDO Operations in Armenia ,
Armen Martirosyan, UNDP Representative,
Jean-Michel Happi, Country Manager for Armenia, Europe and Central Asia,
Mark Davis, Head of the Yerevan Resident Office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
As it’s known a discussion was held at Nature Protection Ministry of Armenia on the introduction of automatic system for groundwater management in Ararat Valley.
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the disastrous situation of the groundwater basin in Ararat Valley is conditioned with the criminal negligence and irresponsibility of Nature Protection Ministry by issuing such number of water usage permits for Ararat Valley groundwater basin, which exceeded the renewable volume of the springs. Meanwhile the findings of the studies, which beat alarm signal about the disastrous situation of the water resources in Ararat Valley, were neglected. Nature Protection Ministry has been performing the orders of tycoons, which is a sign of high corruption risks.
As a result, the balance of Ararat valley water ecosystem was disturbed, a part of Ararat Valley was left without water, the other part waterlogged, which led to losses in agriculture. Being guilt of these crimes, the officials of governmental bodies didn’t prevent another disastrous project by increasing the water outlets from Lake Secan to such volumes, which will drastically deteriorate the lake ecosystem.
It’s not surprising that under such conditions of corruption the Armenian Government didn’t apply any measure to bring the people making disastrous decisions in this field to justice and to punish them. Moreover, the Government is making newer and newer decisions, which make the problem more disastrous, for example, the decision to develop 112 deep wells.
It should be mentioned that the groundwater resources of Ararat Valley have already been assessed. Assessment study was performed with the support of UNDP “Clean Energy and Water Program” by the consortium of “Hayjrnakhagits Institute” CJSC and “Mel-Hov” LLC, while the report is available to all stakeholders on the website of the CEW. A report has been prepared based on the assessment study of the groundwater resources in Ararat Valley, which also contains proposals aimed at correcting the situation, which are as follows:
“Limiting the current total abstraction by wells in AAB and bringing it to the permitted 34.7 m3/s or 1,094.3 Mm3/year set by the SCR in 1984 for upcoming 1-2 years,
The capacity will continue to decrease by 5-10% in coming 1-2 years from central part of the basin towards the west and north-west,
the artesian zone will continue to shrink,
the reduction of positive hydrostatic pressure will actually altogether eliminate the flow of the Sevjur-Aknalich group of springs,
to limit the annual abstraction from underground water of 34.7 m3/s or 1,094.3 Mm3/year,
the average annual groundwater abstraction from the artesian zone of the AAB by wells shall not exceed 15.0 m3/s or 473.0 Mm3/year, including 12.0 m3/s or 378.4 Mm3/year for fish production.”
Under such condition the cooperation of international donors with Nature Protection Ministry towards improving the groundwater in Ararat Valley causes concerns and public anxiety.
We do think that international donor organizations should carry out an audit and detect people in charge of this disaster, should not allow the participation of these people in this project to avoid corruption risks and non-targetful expenses.
For its part, the public is already conducting such an audit, the results of which will be publicized in future.
Inga Zarafyan, President of “EcoLur” Informtional NGO
Public Environmental Alliance, Levon Galstyan – Pan-Armenian Environmental Front,
Mari Chaqryan – PR Officer of Aarhus Centers of Armenia, Arthur Grigoryan – “EcoRight” NGO Chairman have joined this statement.
July 29, 2014 at 17:42