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HAAF: Phoneathon 2009 funds help rebuild Askeran water, sewer system

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  • HAAF: Phoneathon 2009 funds help rebuild Askeran water, sewer system

    PRESS RELEASE
    Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
    Governmental Buiding 3, Yerevan, RA
    Contact: Hasmik Grigoryan
    Tel: +(3741) 56 01 06 ext. 105
    Fax: +(3741) 52 15 05
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Web: http://www.himnadram.org/

    12 April, 2010

    Funds raised during Phoneathon 2009 help rebuild Askeran water and sewer
    systems

    Yerevan, April 12, 2010 - The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has launched a
    major infrastructure project in Askeran City, the capital of Artsakh's
    Askeran Region, seeking to rebuild its crumbling potable-water and sewer
    networks. The initiative is co-financed by the fund's French affiliate -
    through donations received during the 2009 Pan-European Phoneathon - and the
    government of Artsakh.

    Commenting on priority issues facing Askeran today, Albert Avanesyan, head
    of the region's Urban Development Department, identified the potable-water
    problem as the most urgent. Currently drinking water reaches Askeran City
    through rusted pipes and at minimal volume - due to water loss caused by an
    extensively damaged network. Askeran's aging sewer system is also in a state
    of disrepair, posing serious health risks.
    Avanesyan added that another obstacle affecting the growth of the city is
    the recent decline in the number of marriages, a phenomenon brought on by
    the lack of affordable housing, he said.

    With the earthwork already completed, construction crews are now rebuilding
    Askeran's internal water-distribution system by installing new pipes, which
    by the project's end will cover the network's close to six-kilometer overall
    length. Also to be built are a 50-meter-long embankment along the shore of
    the Badara River, meant to prevent riverbank collapse, and a
    water-purification station. Finally, the project will include the
    reconstruction of two water reservoirs (with a total capacity of 1,000 cubic
    meters) and the sewer network.

    "As the lack of access to water remains a critically urgent issue in both
    Armenia and Artsakh, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is committed to helping
    address the problem as a matter of highest priority," said Ara Vardanyan,
    the fund's executive director. "We are deeply grateful to our compatriots
    across Europe, whose generous contributions during the 2009 Pan-European
    Phoneathon made the Askeran infrastructure project possible."

    Nestled in northeastern Artsakh, the Askeran Region borders Azerbaijan on
    the east. Of the area's some 17,600 residents, 2,100 live in Askeran City.

    The Askeran Region is home to a number of major commercial companies
    including Artsakh Alco (a manufacturer of alcoholic beverages), Artsakh
    Fruit (a producer of fruits and vegetables), Varanda (a maker of barrels and
    hardwood flooring), as well as a alabaster factory. These enterprises employ
    close to 260 area residents. Products made by Artsakh Alco and Varanda are
    also exported.

    Agriculture continues to be a vital component of Askeran's economy. The area
    produces significant quantities of pomegranates, grapes, and cereal crops,
    which are packed at local food-processing centers. Lately Askeran farmers
    have begun efforts to grow watermelons as well.
    Notable among Askeran's historic monuments is the 18th-century Mayraberd
    fortress. Another community institution is the Surb Astvatsatsin Church,
    built in 2003.

    Currently three projects financed by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund's French
    affiliate are nearing completion. They include the construction of the
    Chartar Village school (Martuni Region, Artsakh), construction of an
    internal potable-water network in Sos Village (Martuni), and construction of
    a regional cardiology center in Akner, near Goris (Syunik Region, Armenia).

    Two additional projects financed entirely or in part by the French affiliate
    will be launched within the next few months. They are the reconstruction of
    the Muratsan School (Shushi) and reconstruction of the Aygehovit-Vazashen
    irrigation network (Tavush Region, Armenia). The latter initiative is
    sponsored jointly by the fund's French and Argentinean affiliates.

    ###

    Hayastan All Armenian Fund
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