Road Opened: Solutions Proposed to Residents

Residents of Gharybjan and Getk villages in Shirak Province have completed their protest regarding the irrigation water issue and have reopened the Giumri-Aramvir highway.

According to a correspondent of Sputnik Armenia, after blocking the road, the villagers discussed the issue at the administrative center of Gharybjan with officials from the Shirak Provincial Administration, the "Shirak" Water Supply Company, and representatives of the Akhuryan consolidated community.

In an interview with Sputnik Armenia, Roman Hamayakyan, head of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of the Shirak Provincial Administration, stated that the problem has worsened due to the hot weather observed in recent days. The villagers complain that their crops are deteriorating.

“Both Gharybjan and a part of Getk do not belong to the Shirak Water Users Company, and therefore, the company does not supply them with water. These villages have always relied solely on their available water resources. Along with the heat, the irrigation season has begun, and with the increase in planted areas, the issue has become more serious,” said Hamayakyan.

He also mentioned that the only current solution to the problem is for residents of those areas to join the Shirak Water Users Company while the community attempts to present subsidized irrigation network programs to the government.

It is worth noting that early in the morning, residents of Gharybjan and Getk blocked the Giumri-Aramvir road, demanding solutions to their irrigation water issues. The residents pointed out that before reaching their village, the water passes through the village of Azatan, which has already conducted irrigation three times, while they are still waiting for water.