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Armenia’s environmentalists alert that Yerevan is at risk of flooding. The ecology experts have voiced the issue during the meeting of the Public Council under the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia.

In an interview conducted by Panorama.am member of the council, environmentalist Inga Zarafyan noted that the temperature increase can lead to a dangerous situation in Armenia’s capital. The reasons are numerous including the abundant snowfalls, the poor conditions of the water pipes, etc.
“You know in the recent years construction industry has seen rapid growth in the capital and the operating utility services do not comply with them. Currently the utility system is overloaded and has not been renovated so far,” I. Zarafyan noted.

One of the reasons of flooding concerns is the fact that the natural flow of Getar River is disrupted. In addition to this Hrazdan and Getar rivers are full of garbage. “In case of a flooding the river is blocked which can lead to very grave consequences,” she added.

In the words of Zarifyan a representative of Yerevan Municipality has informed that in April of each year the riverbeds are cleaned up, however the environmentalist fears that cleaning up in April will be late already.

“Torrential rains cause a catastrophic situation in Yerevan causing system failure. In addition to this there is another reason. The land area has been cut down in Yerevan, It is well known that soil absorbs the water,” the environmentalist noted.

She alerts that Yerevan is covered with thick snow layer and in case it begins melting at once the water flow will be very fast and strong.

In the words of the expert the issue can be tackled only after assessing the risks and the solution must be conceptual.
“The issue requires very urgent studies to assess the risks and to make proposals on the basis of the results. Otherwise we can end up in a very dangerous situation,” she added.

Head of the Chair of Physical Geography and Hydrometeorology of the YSU Trahel Vardanyan has presented the issue to the government. Pringing forward professional arguments he has expressed concerns over the insufficient capacity of the plumbing system in Yerevan. The speaker has noted that the risks of causing significant damage to the country in case of flooding are big.

Minister Artsvik Minasyan has offered to include the issue in the agenda of the next meeting of the Public Council as well, to invite experts from Armenia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and from other competent bodies, to work out and come up with solutions.

Today "Hello, Yerevan" fraction member Anahit Bakhshyan has sent an open letter to Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan aiming to reveal what measures are taken to prevent the possible flooding.