Lake Sevan Water Level Lower than Previous Years, Says Erik Grigoryan

During its meeting today, April 23, the Government decided to declare a water scarcity in the Northern and Sevan Basin management areas. The issue was presented by Minister of Environment Erik Grigoryan, who noted that the necessity for the government's decision draft arises from the requirements of Article 92 of the RA Water Code.

According to him, from 2014 onwards, water scarcity has already been declared in three other basins: Ararat, Hrazdan, and Ahurian. The basis for this development has been the official information regarding water scarcity provided by the Hydro-Meteorological and Atmospheric Phenomena Active Intervention Service, resulting from hydrometeorological analysis, as well as considering the September 18, 2014, decision on “Water Scarcity and Drought in the Ararat, Hrazdan, and Ahurian Basin Management Areas.”

According to the presented information, all factors forming flood flows have been considered as much as possible when making forecasts. Considering the observed and forecasted hydrometeorological conditions, it is anticipated that the volume of spring flood flows in most rivers in 2020 will be between 50-80% of the norm, while the expected flood flow volumes in most rivers are expected to be around 80-85%.

According to the RA Water Code, such a situation is defined as water scarcity. The draft includes regulatory measures required by the water code in the case of declaring water scarcity, limitations and measures pertaining to the use of water resources and related activities in the specified areas, as well as other relevant requirements for state governing bodies.

The declared water scarcity in the Northern and Sevan Basin management areas may be revoked based on a proposal presented by the Minister of Environment. The adoption of the draft will enable the prevention of conflicts of interest among water users and mitigate the expected negative impact on water resources, especially during times of satisfying water demand, while also finding appropriate solutions for more effective use of limited water resources.

In response to the Prime Minister's question about what this changes for farmers, the minister replied, “This provides additional guarantees to irrigators and farmers, as water will be used according to priorities.” He also informed that this year enough water has been transferred to Lake Sevan via the Arpa-Sevan canal: “We have not taken a single liter of water yet from Sevan, but the level is lower than in previous years. Due to recent rainfall, there may be some water, and the indicators may improve, but the four main reservoirs used for the Ararat plain are at much lower levels at the moment. We hope that there will be no need for the application of this decision; this is a preventive measure,” Grigoryan emphasized.