Drinking Water Samples from Faucets Do Not Meet Standards, Says Taguhi Tomasyan

MP Taguhi Tomasyan has written: "In several border communities of Gegharkunik province, drinking water samples do not meet the requirements of the standards. This is reported by the Health and Labor Inspection Body of the Republic of Armenia.

During my recent visits to the region in January of this year, I was in the communities of Vardenis Sotk, Kut, and Norabak. Residents raised an urgent concern regarding the water supply system that serves the communities of Geghamasar and Sotk, specifically the water pipeline built in 2002 that passes through an area called 'Terteri Dzor'. Due to the enemy's invasion, this pipeline, as well as the water sources in Norabak and the water sources in Geghamabak and Jagatadzor, are under Azerbaijani control. The residents expressed fears of poisoning from the drinking water, prompting them to bring water from neighboring communities, which has caused numerous inconveniences.

Since May 13 of last year, as a result of Azerbaijan's invasion of the sovereign territory of Armenia, people have been deprived of their fundamental rights, leading to the necessity for persistent measures to resolve the issue. In response to my official letters, while the Ministry of Health was informing that no deviations from the established standards had been found in research conducted in January and the first ten days of February of this year, the Water Committee noted that these communities are not within the service area of 'Veolia Jur' LLC and suggested contacting the relevant state authority. I worked with the Health and Labor Inspection Body of Armenia.

Now, in response to my letter, the head of the inspection body, Hakob Avagyan, reports that an administrative case has been initiated, and specialists from the Eastern Territorial Center of the Health and Labor Inspection Body conducted inspections of the water supply systems in Vardenis, Sotk, Kut, Norabak, Geghamasar, Geghamabak, and Jagatadzor communities. As a result, by order of the head of the Health and Labor Inspection Body, the water supply for a part of Jagatadzor community and the entire Geghamabak community has been suspended. This water supply is required for drinking, household, economic, and industrial purposes and is also under the control of Azerbaijani armed forces.

Among other issues, it is noted that there is no production oversight for the drinking water quality in the communities of Sotk, Kut, Norabak, Geghamasar, Geghamabak, and Jagatadzor. Furthermore, water samples taken from various sources—specifically the faucet at the 'Zaven Dzor' spring in Sotk, the drinking water faucet at the village's initial point in Norabak, and the faucet from the first spring in Jagatadzor—have not met the Norm requirements.

I have been advocating for a solution to this issue for about five months now, but there has been no progress. I have been informed that the head of the Health and Labor Inspection Body has issued an order to the mayor of Vardenis to rectify the noted violations within a 30-day period. I will continue to follow up to ensure that the fundamental rights of residents in Armenia's border regions are restored and that people’s health is not endangered due to drinking water from faucets."