YEREVAN. - Freshwater is gradually becoming a more valuable resource in the world, but Armenia does not seriously treat the existing water resources, environmentalist and former Minister of Nature Preservation of Armenia, Karine Danielyan, told Armenian News – NEWS.am.

Referring to the recent conflict with the Government over an additional water intake, the environmentalist noted that there is no confidence towards the fact that that is indeed necessary. “First of all, the enormous losses, which are observed in the irrigation system annually, grow instead of reducing. Many people think that there are two factors here: the real losses and the fact that certain people, who are above the law, use the water without paying for it. It is enough to say that according to the information of the Control Chamber, the losses on Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade exceed even the amount of water, which we release from Sevan,” Danielyan noted.   

In her words, the study conducted after the water level began to rise showed that when the lake began to come closer to its natural condition, processes of self–purification began to activate in it. “Now the lake is in that process and we think that causing such harm to it now is a blasphemy. There is also a seismic risk. Taking of a large amount of water from a reservoir may lead to a misbalance.  One shouldn’t make fun of the lake this way,” the expert stressed.