As one of the components of the Sarsang outlet in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is also the feeding of underground water and its outlets in the form of natural springs, the settlements and agricultural plots in the valley of the Tartar river, below the mirror mark of the Sarsang Reservoir, are quickly losing their water resources. The outflows of all springs below that mark have decreased, some have dried up, and the groundwater level has dropped.
The damage caused and to be caused to the population are listed as a priority issue in the statement issued by the Nature Protection Committee of Artsakh.
“Over-depletion of the water level in the Sarsang Reservoir has also led to maximum risks of loss of aquatic fauna and flora. A number of species, living on the banks of the reservoir and included in the lists of the Red Book of plants and animals of the Republic of Artsakh, are also endangered.
“12 or 70.8% of the 17 species of fish found in the waters of Artsakh are located in the Sarsang reservoir. Such reduction in water volume has sharply increased fish density and, as a consequence, both reduced foraging opportunities and increased risks of self-poisoning, which will lead to large-scale declines in the short term.
"There are also a number of reptiles, mammals and birds in a critical condition according to the standards of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, which are also on the verge of extinction due to the sudden and similar amount of water in the reservoir. The Sarsang Reservoir area is a migration crossing point for a number of migratory birds, and such a sudden and unprecedented drop in water volume has also led to some loss of these bird species and changes in migration routes," also notes the statement by the Nature Protection Committee of Artsakh.
