Increased Penalties for Non-Compliance with Water Meter Installation Requirements

The Ministry of Environment of Armenia plans to raise the penalty amount for failing to meet the requirements of water meter installation at water extraction points. According to environmental studies, many water users do not have water meters, which contradicts the regulations set forth in their water use permits and leads to excessive water usage.

It should be noted that, according to the Code on Administrative Offenses, a fine is stipulated for unauthorized water use. Citizens can be fined in the amount equal to 150,000 AMD, which is 150 times the established minimum wage. Public officials face fines that are 300 times the minimum wage, amounting to 300,000 AMD.

On the other hand, if the requirements of the water use permit are not fulfilled, the penalty for citizens will be 100 times the minimum wage, while for public officials, it will be 200 times the minimum wage. However, the Ministry believes that the penalty amounts are relatively low compared to the damage caused.

The newspaper “Zhoghovurd” learned that the Ministry of Environment intends to amend Article 632 of the Code on Administrative Offenses to proportionally increase the amounts of the penalties. Notably, the prices for water and flow meters range between 1 to 1.5 million AMD. The Ministry proposes that the penalty amount for not installing water meters be equal to the cost of the meters, so that water users have a financial incentive to install them.

For more details, read in the latest issue of the newspaper.