Water is Murky, There are Worms and Bugs: Alarm Raised by 'Zhoghovurd'

'Zhoghovurd' newspaper reports: Residents of Geghamasar community in Gegharkunik Province have raised alarms about health issues their children are facing due to drinking water. They reached out to 'Zhoghovurd' regarding their concerns, particularly from the residents of 8th street in Geghamasar. Gohar Harutyunyan complained, noting, 'The water is dirty, there are worms and bugs in it... We are in a terrible situation, our children have fallen ill because they are using the dirty water from the river for irrigation. They have stomach pains, diarrhea, and it is impossible to get clean water from anywhere. There are people in the neighborhood who have normal drinking water, they privatized it and are not giving it to us.' According to the residents who alerted us, both the Vardenis municipality and the Gegharkunik provincial government are aware of this issue. The community has been struggling for quality drinking water since 2019, but the problem remains unresolved. Regarding the matter, 'Zhoghovurd' spoke with the governor of Gegharkunik province, Karen Sargsyan, and conveyed the complaints of the Geghamasar residents. Following our call to the governor, the community leader met with the citizen who contacted 'Zhoghovurd'. 'It turns out that 8 families have a drinking water issue. It will be addressed in the upcoming projects, and I have instructed that cleaning work be done on the upper water supply. They say that dirty water is coming, but in reality, it is clean water; the supply simply needs cleaning. I have told them to start organizing these cleaning works immediately,' governor Sargsyan informed 'Zhoghovurd', who, by the way, was a former head of the Water Committee.'