Lake Sevan may bloom again

ArmInfo.Apparently, this year Lake Sevan will also bloom again due to blue-green algae.

As Deputy Minister of the Environment Irina Ghaplanyan said at a  press conference on June 2, water quality studies show that there is  already a slight decrease in phosphorus in Sevan, which indicates the  activation of blue-green algae. To recall, it was this particular  type of algae that caused unprecedented blooming of the lake over the  last 40 years in 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, Ghaplanyan noted that at  this stage it is difficult to predict the extent of flowering, since  this process depends on the influence of a number of factors. The  deputy minister also pointed out that last year, the flowering  process of Sevan began in mid-June, and lasted several weeks.

Ghaplanyan informed that the negative factors affecting the flowering  of Sevan water include, in particular, the negative balance  repeatedly recorded in recent years, pollution of the lake by  household and other wastes, as well as an increase in air temperature  due to climate change. She recalled that earlier the EU allocated a  grant of 5 million euros to Armenia to solve a number of problems in  Lake Sevan. In particular, the experts developed a document that  included three measures: the creation of a community wastewater  treatment plant; river bed cleaning; reclamation of an abandoned  Sotsk field. According to Ghaplanyan, the document is at the stage of  discussion with partner organizations, and the above activities are  likely to be implemented from September of this year.

As for the water level of Lake Sevan, the deputy minister informed  that in the first three months of this year, there was a decrease in  precipitation in the republic. Meanwhile, the situation has  stabilized somewhat since mid-April and in the month of May. So, by  May 10, the May monthly rainfall fell across the country.  Thus, as  Gaplanyan noted, at the moment a negative balance in the lake has not  been recorded.