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Demonstrators Protest Lake Sevan Proposal Outside Parliament
04.28.2014 12:33 epress.am
The initiative SOS Sevan held a protest today outside the National
Assembly building, urging MPs to vote against a government proposal
that environmentalists say would increase drainage from Lake Sevan by
40%.
Participating in the demonstration were not only environmental
activists, but also residents of the affected communities. Martuni
resident Anahit Gevorgyan, in conversation with Epress.am, said the
entire community is against the Lake Sevan proposal.
The residents say they raised their concerns also during the public
hearings, but their opinions were not taken into consideration.
"There was no increase in arable land, how did it happen that the
water is now not enough for irrigation? It's clear to all of us that
the water is being drained in order to maintain the fisheries of
Ararat marz [province]," she told Epress.am.
According to Gevorgyan, also harmful is the government's other
decision, which plans to increase the supply of trout in Lake Sevan by
50,000 tons of fish by artificial feed in net pens until 2023.
"They'll pour those hormones into the lake and the fish and water
quality of all of [Lake] Sevan will change," she said.
Another demonstrator, EcoLur NGO President Inga Zarafyan, considered
important the fact that the decision about breeding fish will be
brought to parliament. This is unprecedented, though put to a vote in
parliament will be only the decision on increasing the volume of water
drainage.
According to Zarafyan, the greatest threat is that if the water is
drained in such large volumes for 5 consecutive years, the lake will
no longer be able to recover.
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/04/28/demonstrators-protest-lake-sevan-proposal-outside-parliament.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JBlCEmALJc
04.28.2014 12:33 epress.am
The initiative SOS Sevan held a protest today outside the National
Assembly building, urging MPs to vote against a government proposal
that environmentalists say would increase drainage from Lake Sevan by
40%.
Participating in the demonstration were not only environmental
activists, but also residents of the affected communities. Martuni
resident Anahit Gevorgyan, in conversation with Epress.am, said the
entire community is against the Lake Sevan proposal.
The residents say they raised their concerns also during the public
hearings, but their opinions were not taken into consideration.
"There was no increase in arable land, how did it happen that the
water is now not enough for irrigation? It's clear to all of us that
the water is being drained in order to maintain the fisheries of
Ararat marz [province]," she told Epress.am.
According to Gevorgyan, also harmful is the government's other
decision, which plans to increase the supply of trout in Lake Sevan by
50,000 tons of fish by artificial feed in net pens until 2023.
"They'll pour those hormones into the lake and the fish and water
quality of all of [Lake] Sevan will change," she said.
Another demonstrator, EcoLur NGO President Inga Zarafyan, considered
important the fact that the decision about breeding fish will be
brought to parliament. This is unprecedented, though put to a vote in
parliament will be only the decision on increasing the volume of water
drainage.
According to Zarafyan, the greatest threat is that if the water is
drained in such large volumes for 5 consecutive years, the lake will
no longer be able to recover.
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/04/28/demonstrators-protest-lake-sevan-proposal-outside-parliament.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JBlCEmALJc