Armenia’s Marmarik Reservoir, which was put into operation in 2012 to store the waters of Marmarik River, is empty, as it was.

“Healthy Hrazdan” environmental group member Movses Manukyan posted the aforesaid on the Facebook group of the “EcoLur” NGO and also published the photos of Marmarik Reservoir and Marmarik River.

“The photo shows half-full Marmarik Reservoir on 25.04.2014. On 2 May 2012 it was officially put into operation by [President] Serzh Sargsyan. The aim of this reservoir is to store the water of Marmarik River.

“It was officially stated during the official opening that US $9.5 million was spent (WB loaning funds)” and US $3.1 million was spent from the state budget, and we are supposed to have: 1. Annually 23 million m3 stored water (water outlets from Lake Sevan were supposed to reduce by this amount) 2. 10.9 million kW/h electricity was supposed to be saved in Mkhchyan pumping station. 3.  1055 ha land areas in Kotayk Region only were supposed to become irrigable. 4. Sevan-Hrazdan cascade HPPs were supposed to produce 21 million kW/h cheap electricity.

“The next two photos show currently full-water Marmarik River before flowing into the reservoir and after. Even with a naked eye you can see that water flows by while Marmarik Reservoir remains empty as it was.

“As a conclusion, several questions arise: whether the law laying down additional water outlet of 72.2 million m3 from Lake Sevan accounts for 23 million m3 of Marmarik Reservoir. In case of realistic calculations, the mentioned water amount was supposed to be reduced from the statutory 168 million m3 still in 2013,” Movses Manukyan specifically wrote.