Residents Near Rivers in Yerevan Avoid Visitors Due to Foul Odor: Mayor Responds to Issue

There is so much garbage in the rivers that we need to think about it: this was stated by Armen Nersisyan, a member of the Bright Armenia faction, during a meeting of Yerevan City Council today, December 25.

"If a working group is created, I can take you to show what is happening in the rivers. Perhaps we need to install collectors over the rivers. You are allocating 38 million drams in the budget for cleaning, but nothing is moving forward. Previously, there were fish in these rivers, but now there is nothing left. I propose creating a working group. No one visits the homes of residents living near the rivers due to the foul odor," he said.

Mayor Hayk Marutyan agreed, adding, "I concur; we will begin the process of removing large waste, which includes everything you mentioned. We will have results next year. We have also consulted with the government on this issue, led by the Prime Minister. Residents living nearby often create these problems and then complain. I have even seen trash being thrown into the river right in front of my eyes. When I pointed it out, they said, 'What can I do? This is the situation, so I throw it too.' Trash doesn’t come on its own; people throw it. We don’t have the resources for people to throw trash and for us to pick it up. We can collect it once, but we cannot keep doing it continuously; citizens need to help us with this issue."