RA Deputy Minister of Environment Tigran Simonyan submitted the Ministry’s report on the 2020 performance at the March 18 session of the NA Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Local Self-Government, Agriculture and Environment.
According to it, in the reporting year 2 deep wells were liquidated and 4 were conserved in Ararat and Armavir regions. 29 deep wells were brought to the valve mode.
More than 1,500 l / s of water was saved. 190 new water use permits have been issued for fish farming, irrigation, drinking water and industrial purposes. 14 bids for construction of small hydropower plants were rejected. Online water meters have been installed and sealed at 12 small hydropower points. To present, 145 online water meters have been installed and sealed in 111 of 152 small hydropower plants.
About 205 million cubic meters of water has flown to the Lake Sevan through Arpa-Sevan water pipeline since the beginning of the year, which is 46 million more than the same period last year. About 630.000 fry fish were released into Lake Sevan under the restoration of trout reserves and the development of fish farming program, of which about 600.000 were Gegharkuni and 30.000 - Summer trout.
About 204 tons of whitefish were industrially hunted. Measures have been taken to ban illegal whitefish hunting. Simonyan noted that there are many problems: there is an essential to eliminate legislative gaps.
MP Sarik Minasyan raised the issue of protection of citizens from stray dogs. It was mentioned that neutered dogs are also dangerous for people, with reference to which Tigran Simonyan clarified that the settlement of this issue is not within the Ministry’s functions o. The Deputy Minister agreed that there is a real problem and it is necessary for the relevant bodies to urgently find a solution.
The Deputy Minister also stated that a number of environmental programs were implemented in 2020.
Particularly, the production of ozone-depleting substances was banned, and a legislative initiative on the gradual reduction of single-use plastic bags has been adopted. Due to that, the sale of plastic bags up to 50 microns thick will be banned from 2022.