Until the State of Emergency Ends, Electricity, Gas, and Water Supply Will Not Be Halted: Ombudsman

Until the end of the state of emergency, the supply of electricity, gas, and water will not be halted due to non-payment. This information is reported by the press service of the Human Rights Defender.

“In recent days, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has received complaints regarding the inability to pay for utility services due to the restrictions of the state of emergency. Specifically, some citizens indicated that they are self-isolating and lack sufficient means to make payments due to not going to work, while others reported that their services for water, electricity, and gas have been suspended due to non-payment,” said the statement.

The Human Rights Defender discussed the issue yesterday morning with the head of the Public Services Regulatory Commission. Subsequently, by mutual agreement, the same issue was raised in a written procedure. Within the framework of cooperation between the Defender’s office and the Public Services Regulatory Commission, the data of the applicants have been forwarded to the commission to provide a quick solution to the problem.

As a result, utility services for some citizens who contacted the Human Rights Defender were not suspended, and those that were suspended have been restored. The commission recognized the created situation as a force majeure that impedes the fulfillment of payment obligations for the electricity, natural gas, and drinking water supplied to the population until the declared state of emergency ends.

In such legal conditions, the electricity, natural gas, and drinking water supply to residents will not be halted due to non-fulfillment of payment obligations. It should be noted that this does not exempt resident subscribers from fulfilling their payment obligations for the electricity, natural gas, and drinking water provided to them.