Water outages are inevitable, the key question is their duration, the head of Armenia’s Water Committee said.
Water outages will occur, and the issue is what the duration of the cuts should be, said Water Committee Chairman Aramazd Ghalamkaryan.
He noted that “Veolia Water” did not coordinate its decision to change the supply schedule with the committee before announcing it, Panorama.am reported.
“The fact that we have limited water resources, especially during peak summer months, is undeniable. Veolia is not misleading anyone; it is stating in advance that it cannot ensure 24-hour water supply during the summer. We will have water outages, the only question is what their duration should be,” he said.
According to Ghalamkaryan, nearly the same schedule, differing by only three streets—was published last November, but it did not provoke a similar reaction. He stressed that the country is currently in a pre-election period and certain groups are trying to exploit the issue.
“At this stage, our discussion with Veolia concerns improving the schedule, possibly introducing shorter outage intervals, adjusting hours and regimes. Different communities may see different changes,” he added.
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan wrote on his Facebook page that no changes to the water supply schedule will take place following government intervention.
“As a result of government intervention, there will be no change in the water supply schedule. At a meeting convened with the participation of relevant bodies, a decision was made to suspend the implementation of the schedule published by ‘Veolia Water.’
Over the next two weeks, the Water Committee, the Public Services Regulatory Commission and ‘Veolia Water’ will conduct additional studies, after which an improved water supply schedule for 2024 and 2025 will be published.
This position is based on the fact that capital works carried out in Yerevan and the regions have tripled in recent years. Continuous efforts are underway to modernize existing infrastructure and increase the volume of water pumped to Yerevan from newly identified water sources,” Avinyan wrote.
“Veolia Water” had earlier clarified that under its published schedule, from May 1 to September 16 water supply at a number of addresses in Yerevan and the regions would operate on a 17-hour schedule—from 7:00 a.m. to midnight.
The company cited a sharp increase in the number of new water consumers and the need to prevent water losses during nighttime hours.
