Expert: Sevan cleaning stations only exacerbate lake pollution

ArmInfo. One of the main causes of Sevan pollution is the discharge of sewage into the lake from almost all of Gegharkunik's settlements. On July 17, during the working discussion "Problems of Lake Sevan and ways to solve them", initiated  by the Prosperous Armenia Party, Chairman of two committees on Lake  Sevan Ecosystem Preservation both by Armenian President and National  Academy of Sciences of Armenia Yuri Javadyan stated.

The expert said that in Martuni only 45% of the houses are provided  with sewage, in Vardenis 20%, the largest percentage of such houses  in Gavar (47%).

He noted that the three water treatment plants operating on the lake  pollute more than clean the Sevan ecosystem. Waste generated after  mechanical treatment of water should be sent to landfill, but in the  area it is not. "Thus, about 340 tons of garbage that comes from  Sevan is dumped somewhere, and then, in spring, the waste flows back  into the lake along the rivers. But this is not the only cause of  water pollution in the lake. Another reason is that The program  covered 700 hectares of coastal territory, trees were cut down,  however, stumps of these trees remained, which led to decay and, as a  result, to the lake pollution. Flooding of 300 wooden houses in the  Lavanda settlement contributed to this. As a result, the accelerated  rise in the water level did not allow for the necessary measures and  solving all these issues, "Javadyan said.

Javadyan also presented options that, according to the expert, can  solve this problem. In particular, he noted the need to establish  special treatment facilities at all facilities on the shore, the  creation of a landfill near the town of Hrazdan, as well as special  pools for water purification. In conclusion, the chairman of the Lake  Sevan Committee blamed the Sevan National Park SNCO for the  situation. "With systematic work, we could have avoided a number of  targeted causes of pollution. Moreover, if the National Park  cooperated with us, it would help us uproot the stumps of felled  trees and also provide barriers for the inflow of polluted water,"  Javadyan said. 

It should be noted that Lake Sevan is the main source of drinking  water in the region, one of the largest alpine lakes in Europe and  Asia, located in the heart of the Armenian Highlands, at an altitude  of 1914 meters. This year, blue-green algae bloomed in large numbers  in the lake, after which the Ministry of Healthcare of Armenia called  on the residents of the country not to swim in these parts of the  lake, as these algae are toxic. In turn, the "bloom" of Sevan caused  serious concern to environmentalists, who sounded the alarm.  Moreover, experts said that it is necessary to take appropriate  measures and save Sevan. There are two reasons as a cause of   <blooming> of Sevan, the first is the distribution of blue-green  algae, and the other reason for the lake's "blooming" is called a  decrease in the water level in the lake.