YEREVAN. – The water level of Armenia’s Lake Sevan will not reduce in 2012 as a result of releasing additional water from the Lake, Nature Protection Minister Aram Harutyunyan stated during a press conference on Friday.   

In his words, the Lake’s water level is increasing rapidly in the recent years, and by 25-35 centimeters per year. Even in 2008, when additional water was released from the Lake because of the drought, its water level rose by 6 centimeters.   

Lake Sevan’s water level increased by 3 meters in the past ten years, albeit, in line with the program approved in 2001, it should have risen by 15-25 centimeters. 

To note, the Government has introduced a bill on increasing to up to 320 million cubic meters the volume of irrigation water release from Lake Sevan in 2012, so as not to have a water shortage during the irrigation season.    

Photos by Sona Barseghyan