Video: During Your Tenure as Governor, Thousands of Kilometers of Pipes Were Sold, Speak Up: A Member of the CP to Khachatryan

The government is heading in the wrong direction, fundamentally mismanaging water resources. This was stated by Arthur Khachatryan, a member of the 'Armenia' faction, during a discussion on proposed amendments to the law on the approval of annual and comprehensive programs for the restoration, preservation, reproduction, and utilization of the ecosystem of Lake Sevan at an extraordinary session of the National Assembly.

“I asked how much water has been released before the irrigation season, but there was no response. Because the irrigation season is starting, and there is already no water,” he said.

He also noted that each year we face the same problem, with farmers receiving less yield as this government is failing in the construction of reservoirs. “This won’t last; you will come here again and say, ‘What were we supposed to do, not provide water? These people will be thirsty, and there will be no yield,’” the opposition MP expressed his frustration.

In response, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Vache Terteryan stated, “I can also say emotionally like you: there should be water in the reservoirs, well, let there be.” After the discussion, Arthur Khachatryan again requested the right to speak, approaching the podium he said, “It’s a pity Terteryan left; call him back, I have something to say.”

Khachatryan revealed that during his time as governor of Shirak, work had begun on the construction of the Kapsi reservoir, but it wasn't until five years later that the authorities signed a contract. According to him, irrigation water is being discharged from the reservoirs before the start of the irrigation season, and the water from the reservoirs is not used solely for irrigation purposes.

CP MP Matevos Asatryan countered the opposition MP's claims. “Well, you were the former governor, during your time thousands of kilometers of pipes were sold underground, you were the one in charge. Why didn’t you speak up back then? You didn’t construct a single reservoir in 30 years. Today, we are building reservoirs and changing irrigation water networks. Yes, we are still going to fail due to the legacy you left; we will still have many problems. Every time you come, you just clutch onto what someone else said. Just from the Aparan region, thousands of kilometers of pipes were removed, and they took away those village leaders who opposed them, catching them, taking them away, and locking them up so they wouldn’t make a sound,” the MP stated.

According to Matevos Asatryan, the Prosecutor's Office should begin an investigation into who sold the pipes. “Those pipes were taken and handed over for recycling,” concluded the ruling party MP.