Yesterday's Street Conditions Were Catastrophic, But It Wasn't Our Fault: Why Rainwater Is Slow to Drain from Gyumri's Streets

“The issue was not related to the storm drains, but rather to the large volume of precipitation.” This was stated by Artavazd Voskanyan, acting director of the Gyumri Municipality's “Communal Services” organization, in an interview with “Armenian Time” while discussing why yesterday's short-term rain and hail rendered Gyumri impassable, with streets flooded and tourists and pedestrians stranded for an extended period in the areas where they had been prior to the rain.

Voskanyan noted that the condition of Gyumri's streets was indeed catastrophic. “We checked all the storm drains yesterday, and they were working normally. The volume of water was just too great; the 200-mm pipes couldn't handle it. The utility teams were on the ground at that moment, collecting and removing the leaves and branches knocked down by the hail from the drainage networks to allow the water to flow away,” he assured.

There are currently 450 storm drains operating in Gyumri, and the responsible official agrees that this number is low but states that the count is being increased. Streets undergoing construction are also designed to include storm drain installation.

When asked how many storm drains Gyumri needs to prevent the city from turning into a large reservoir during rainfall, he could not specify a precise number, indicating that a professional assessment is required to determine it. Despite this, the representative of the Gyumri city administration disagrees with the observation that the city is unprepared to avoid problems during heavy precipitation. “No one can predict when or how much rain and hail will fall. Such events can happen once a year; it is similar worldwide,” he emphasized.

In response to the observation that the same situation had occurred in Gyumri’s streets just a few days ago, Voskanyan reiterated the unprecedented nature of the rainfall volume. It is worth noting that according to the head of the Communal Services, yesterday’s flooding did not cause any damage in Gyumri, except for the city’s planted flowers, for which restoration efforts are already underway today.