I Doubt That Grants to Clean the Shores of Lake Sevan Have Been Recklessly Wasted - Zohrabyan

During a discussion in the National Assembly regarding the situation around Lake Sevan, MP Naira Zohrabyan from the Prosperous Armenia faction pointed out that there seems to be an attempt to exploit the issues of Sevan by either defending or not defending the rights of various stakeholders.

“We all acknowledge that Sevan is sick; it is not the result of 1-2 years of irresponsibility. Our environmentalists have been raising awareness of this issue for years, yet the voice has fallen on deaf ears. As an MP, I have been informed about how grants have been received over the years to clean Sevan, but I have the right to hold reasonable doubts upon seeing the current state of Sevan that this money has been recklessly wasted,” she emphasized.

According to Yuri Javadyan, the head of the expert committee for the protection of Lake Sevan under the National Academy of Sciences, there are several reasons for the current condition of Sevan. For instance, the region is not fully sewage connected, and the cities of Gavarr, Martuni, and Vardenis are partially connected.

“We have installed primary treatment plants, but they are now causing more pollution than cleaning,” he stated. According to Mr. Javadyan, trees were cut down in the past, leaving the stumps submerged under water. Cleaning mechanisms have already been installed over an area of 10 hectares, where microbial cleaning is taking place, yet no blooming has been observed. Javadyan noted that three treatment plants are already operational. The committee has proposed to the Ministry of Environment to install two types of treatment plants that are quite affordable.