Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Water Committee of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure to discuss the latter's activity report 2023.

Chairman of the Committee Vahagn Gevorgyan and his deputies reported on the work done during the reporting period.

It was informed that within the framework of the 2023 state budget, the Water Committee implemented 6 programs, which include a total of 40 measures. These were directed at solving the problems of the irrigation system, managing the water system of the Vorotan-Arpa-Sevan tunnel, collector drainage services, improving water supply and drainage, coordinating and monitoring projects in the field of water management. The annual adjusted plan for 2023 without credit and grant funds was 22,092.5 million AMD, the implementation was 98.08%.

During the reporting period, the works continued on increasing the duration of water supply, improving water quality, deepening institutional reforms, increasing the level of collection of fees for supplied irrigation water, increasing the efficiency of the companies operating in the system, effective use of budgetary, credit and grant funds, as well as other directions.

Prime Minister Pashinyan asked the officials how much water has been stored in Armenia at the moment. It was noted that a total of 1.1 billion cubic meters of water was stored in reservoirs. When asked what is the potential of our country that can be stored, the officials stated that we have 7.5 billion cubic meters of surface flow, and according to preliminary estimates, if the concept of building reservoirs is considered, it will be possible to store another 1.7 billion cubic meters of water.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan reported that this issue, as an important issue of water management, is included in the agenda of the working group and they need to formulate what needs to be done. "How can we add to the 1.1 billion cubic meters of water today, where there is potential, because these are issues related to large investments. We must also decide the sequence of directing the existing financial opportunities to the separate needs," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that a certain financial scheme should also be calculated in this process. "We need to understand what effect this will have on our water tariff. Maybe a 10 times higher price after 10 years is a very cheap price or a very expensive price. But let's note that we are formulating questions based on experience. In other words, we go ahead, then we face the problem, we formulate the question, then we walk again, we face the problem, we formulate the question. This means that we do not see the problem in theory, so to speak. Until we face the situation, that question does not exist for us. This is a fundamental problem, while the right thing is for us to know and manage it, not to let it become a problem," said the Prime Minister.

It was reported that the irrigation sector collected fees of 71.9% during the reporting period, which is the highest compared to previous years. It was noted that, despite this result, the total debt of the irrigation sector over the years reaches about 28 billion AMD. It was noted that compared to 2022, the volume of water losses decreased by 1.5%.

Referring to the low rates of fee collection, high rates of water loss, as well as many problems in the field of irrigation, the Prime Minister noted. "Let's note that we have a water system without a financial scheme. We don't have a financial model. We have not created a system that has the ability to reproduce itself. In other words, this system is a dead system and I want to explain why I say so.

When scientists want to explain what life is, they point out that one of the characteristics of life is the ability to reproduce itself, so any system that cannot reproduce itself is a dead system. We do not admit this and our people do not know about it either. The fundamental problem is this. There is something very important, which is the omission of all of us and our state. A person wants or does not get water in his arable land, there is water - he is satisfied, if there is no water - he is dissatisfied. But we don't tell him what physical, organizational, legal and financial path that water goes through before reaching his arable land. I'm convinced that people's attitudes towards situations are shaped by the fact that we don't explain to people what's really going on.

By the way, I kind of compare this to the old and new culture in healthcare. The peculiarity of the old culture was that people were not told about their illness and what the problem was, the doctors told their relatives secretly. With the new culture, a person is explained what his problem is, and its main feature is that he should know what the problem is, to help solve it, at least by understanding what is happening to him.

Today I record that our irrigation system is dead and at least unless we put a new financial scheme under it, it is not possible to revive it. It is a very complicated and difficult work, I understand how much energy it takes from our management system in general to collect every million drams, but it is, in fact, a Sisyphean task that does not produce results. We have to explain this to people so that they know, because people still have the perception that some evil dragon is sitting on the water source and not letting the water come, which is true in some sense. But that evil dragon is the inefficient system. And until we cut off the head of that dragon, destroy that dragon and create a normal system, this issue will not be resolved. Therefore, we need to understand what we are doing here."

Nikol Pashinyan also addressed the issue related to the drinking water fountains. "It may be a small thing in the overall scope, but I consider it very important in terms of culture. Regarding the fountains, why don't we regulate the fountains to work with valves, it is also a change in attitude towards water. In other words, we should not ban the existence of fountains, but this culture exists in the world, there should be a mandatory valve on them. And let's decide a deadline that after that time the fountains simply cannot work without a valve. There are many issues that need to be resolved through changing our perception, but we must work consistently, because if we just record the fact that it is so and do nothing, it will remain so."

It was noted that in 2021, the process of installation and operation of hydrometers equipped with SCADA system in irrigation systems started. In 2023, the works of installing hydrometers equipped with SCADA system at the dividing points of the main and second-class canals of irrigation systems were continued and completed. In total, 2235 pieces of hydrometers equipped with SCADA system were installed.

Electricity consumption in the irrigation sector was 166.3 million kWh or 7.8 billion AMD, compared to 172.2 million kWh, 8.1 billion AMD in 2022, which means that 5.9 million kWh or 300 million AMD was spent less.

In 2023, within the framework of the measure aimed at restoring irrigation systems, major repair works were carried out in 5 facilities in Armavir and Ararat regions.

270 million AMD were allocated last year under the "Current operation and maintenance of the Arpa-Sevan tunnel" program of the "Vorotan-Arpa-Sevan tunnel water system management" project. The works under the "Improving the technical condition of the Arpa-Sevan water system" initiative started in 2022. the emergency sections with a total length of about 220.1 m were completely repaired and completed during the previous year.

Cleaning, restoration and repair works of the collector-drainage network with a total length of 172.5 km were carried out. Groundwater monitoring was done in 455 observation wells installed in the Ararat Valley. Thanks to the measures, it was possible to prevent salinization of about 6469 hectares of land.

Reference was also made to the operation of the treatment plants, the existing problems in this direction and the steps to solve them. In this context, Prime Minister Pashinyan referred to the issue of cleaning the water flowing into Lake Sevan. "Look what is happening. population, we all use, say, chemical elements, different types of laundry, dishwashing liquids, etc. That water flows into Lake Sevan, where the whitefish lives in that water, that chemical elements, and then we bring the whitefish to our table. This mechanism that I am telling people to be aware of is very important. That is, what are the consequences of this in the field of health care? And in Sevan today they have reached unprecedented volumes. Household appliances have developed, become cheaper, they have become widespread, etc.

The volume of chemicals that is poured into Lake Sevan every year is simply terrible. And it is important to record that this chemicals return and enter the body of us, our citizens, our children, and we have corresponding consequences in the health sector. That perception, understanding of our generation comes from communicating this kind of information, because a person is aware of what he is doing. For example, let's admit, the topic seems aesthetic: that’s being filled into Sevan, ok, it's not so good, pangs of conscience, etc., but in reality, the issue has a much larger scope besides the aesthetic one, which concerns the health of the people. I only mention the example of Lake Sevan, Ararat valley, all other places, rivers, etc., this is a fundamental problem. And if we don't get the regulations today, after 50, 60 years this will be expressed in such a noisy way in our reality that it's even scary to imagine," said the Prime Minister and emphasized that this issue must be addressed in the water sector management strategy.

During 2023, within the framework of projects for the reconstruction of water supply systems in settlements located in the service area of Veolia Jur CJSC and requiring urgent solutions, construction work was carried out in the settlements of Dvin, Nor Kyank, Shaumyan, Artashat, Ghukasavan, Vostan, Sisavan, Burastan, Arbat, Khachpar settlements.

According to the report of Veolia Jur CJSC, water quality is 98.6% in compliance with current standards.

During 2023, the average duration of water supply in the service area of Veolia Jur CJSC was 23.2 hours/day in the city of Yerevan, 20.5 hours/day in other urban settlements and 20.2 hours/day in rural areas.

As part of the project for the construction of the Vedi reservoir and irrigation system, work continues under the contract “Design and construction of the Vedi dam and auxiliary structures”.

As part of the construction of the Kaps reservoir and auxiliary structures, work is underway to build a mobilization and drainage system from the river.

Of the 15 reservoirs included in the “Program for the Construction of Small and Medium Reservoirs”, the development of design estimates for Astkhadzor, Elpin, Kasakh, Lichk and Artik is at the final stage, the deadline for design work on the Argich reservoir has been extended due to the presence of infrastructure (hydroelectric power station) in the territories. For the remaining 9 reservoirs, a feasibility study is planned.

Nikol Pashinyan once again emphasized that attitudes towards water must change: “Awareness is very important. In a number of villages they say that we are selling us water from our mountains. We say: people, water from our mountains, from your mountains, is free, you only pay not to bring water from the mountain by buckets, but to have this water in your home. This seems to be a simple thing, but a person in his work and his worries does not always delve into these nuances. It’s important, and it’s important for us, that he knows that, and it’s important for himself that he knows that.”