VIDEO: Tires, Mattresses, Horrible Stench. River Bed Cleaning Has Begun

Residents of Erebuni report, "You wouldn't believe what people throw into the river: tires, mattresses, and it creates a horrible stench." The Yerevan municipality has announced that the cleaning of river beds has commenced.

Every spring, the City of Yerevan conducts this cleanup with the help of a specialized organization, deploying special equipment for the task. The main focus, as they say, is on areas near private homes.

"The work will continue for a month and will cover approximately 18 kilometers. This way, the river beds are cleaned along their entire length," says Arsen Karoyan, head of the municipal services department of the Yerevan municipality.

Currently, the work is taking place in the Avan and Erebuni districts. In addition to the beds of the "Getar" and "Voghjaberd" rivers, the channels are also being cleaned. In enclosed, tunnel-like sections, all the waste is removed manually.

"About 4000 cubic meters of waste is removed each year, which is transported to the landfill," says the organization’s director, Aleksan Harutyunyan.

The river beds are cleaned primarily to ensure water flow. The city's water resources are also significant from an environmental standpoint.

What can be done to prevent pollution of the city’s rivers and channels? The answer is simple: do not throw trash and keep them clean. The city authorities have urged residents for years and impose fines of up to 50,000 drams for offenders caught in the act. However, this is not a comprehensive solution to the problem.

Residents observe, "People do not understand that this waste ends up in Lake Yerevan and subsequently in the Ararat plain, and that pollution is dangerous." The river beds are also cleaned during the year. The city spends more than 38 million drams on these efforts.