Backyard of a Building on Halabyan Street Flooded with Sewage and Risk of Infection

For the fourth day in a row, an unsanitary and unhygienic situation reigns in the courtyard of building 51 on Halabyan Street in the Ajapnyak administrative district of Yerevan. Due to damage to the sewage pipes of neighboring building 49, sewage is overflowing into the garage, from where people are pumping it out onto the street with drainage pumps. Even walking in the building's backyard with a mask is unbearable; the smell is so strong that even with a mask on, one can feel the stench.

Residents told SHAMSHYAN.com’s correspondent, “In this cool autumn weather, we can’t open our windows. The cause is a blockage in the sewage system of building 49. Twenty days ago, ‘Veolia Water’ came and tried to eliminate the blockage, but instead of fixing the problem, they caused more issues. It seems they left a metal wire as a bitter memory in the pipe and departed, promising to return the next day to resolve the issue. However, they have not returned and have now become ‘Khachatur Abovyan’.”

Four days ago, sewage began to overflow from the garage of local resident Gohar Arzumanyan, and people have become around-the-clock caretakers. They continuously pump out sewage. We are forced to report this again to the Yerevan City Hall and the Ajapnyak administrative district, but they respond that it is not within their jurisdiction and that the issue should be resolved by ‘Veolia Water’. The latter argues that the sewage runs under the garages and that they do not have the authority to dismantle it.”

Desperate citizens told the media correspondent that if this situation continues for a few more days, it is likely to become a source of infection, and people will end up in hospitals. They also said that everyone diligently pays their bills and questioned who would hold the responsible parties accountable to ensure they approach consumer issues with care, stepping out of their comfortable offices to resolve problems instead of just thinking about filling their own pockets while seated in their chairs.