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AGRICULTURAL CONCERNS: FISH BREEDING IN ARMENIA SPURS ECONOMY BUT DEVASTATES ARTESIAN WATER RESOURCES
By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow
07.09.11 | 11:25
Photolure
The haul of fish has been good for business, but harmful for valley
water supply.
The government of Armenia is satisfied with the development of the
country's fish-breeding industry, which is a good incentive for
economic growth and export.
However, the water resources of the Ararat Valley are wastefully used
and do not recover, so as a consequence drinking and irrigation water
springs in the villages of Ararat and Armavir provinces are drying up.
At the same time, fish breeding keeps developing. According to the
agriculture ministry data, in 2010 some 5,430 tons of fish were
produced, and this year that number is expected to reach 7,000 by
approximate calculation. Moreover, this growth in fish breeding
industry has contributed to the reduction of the recent years'
agricultural recession.
The 234 fish breeding entities operating in the Ararat valley siphon
800 million cubic meters of water, which has lead to the dry-up of
artesian springs in the highlands of the valley.
Simon Andreasyan, Ararat province's Hovtashat community leader,
says that as a result of the fish farms, 110 out of Hovtashat's 130
springs have dried up. Because of this, he says, villagers are unable
to work the 700 hectares (about 1,730 acres) of the village's 1040
hectare hectares (about 2,570 acres) arable lands, and only 500 heads
of livestock now remain out of the initial 1,300.
"We have 1040 families, 3,500 people in our village, and nobody has
left their home, no door has been locked and abandoned. But these
people are unable to work their land, drinking and irrigation water
springs have dried up, fields have dried, there is not grass, and
they couldn't help but slaughtering their livestock, and all that is
caused by fish breeding households," Andreasyan told ArmeniaNow.
The problems listed by Andreasyan are not unique to his village only;
almost all the highland villages of the Ararat valley are facing the
same challenges. Last year the government called a special commission
to study the situation and find solutions.
"The water resources of the Ararat valley have significantly decreased
over the past 2-3 years and it's a serious issue. But that water is
not only for fish breeding, it is also for drinking and irrigation,"
concluded head of the special commission, minister of territorial
administration Armen Gevorgyan, after studying the case.
The commission discovered that out of the 87 fish farms in the Ararat
valley, only 27 can safely be used to drill wells, siphon water or
build breeding reservoirs, whereas the rest are more fit for farming
or industrial utilization. And not one of the 147 entities of Armavir
province is fit for fish breeding, according to the study.
It also turned out that there are 5,424 deep-dug wells in the
country, that have no water meters installed. Hence, as part of the
solution to the issue, the government decided to place water meters
on each artesian water well, in order to oversee and regulate water
consumption.
During his August 17 visit to Armavir province minister of
environmental protection Aram Harutyunan informed fish breeders that
they each have to acquire water meters on their own.
The issue, however, cannot be solved by just placing water meters,
says Hovtashat village head Andreasyan.
"It is no proper way, that some 300-400 people owning fish breeding
households and their families enjoy themselves and become trout and
swim in water, while thousands of people suffer from that," he says
with frustration, meaning that a few families become exclusively
better off.
From: A. Papazian
By Sara Khojoyan
ArmeniaNow
07.09.11 | 11:25
Photolure
The haul of fish has been good for business, but harmful for valley
water supply.
The government of Armenia is satisfied with the development of the
country's fish-breeding industry, which is a good incentive for
economic growth and export.
However, the water resources of the Ararat Valley are wastefully used
and do not recover, so as a consequence drinking and irrigation water
springs in the villages of Ararat and Armavir provinces are drying up.
At the same time, fish breeding keeps developing. According to the
agriculture ministry data, in 2010 some 5,430 tons of fish were
produced, and this year that number is expected to reach 7,000 by
approximate calculation. Moreover, this growth in fish breeding
industry has contributed to the reduction of the recent years'
agricultural recession.
The 234 fish breeding entities operating in the Ararat valley siphon
800 million cubic meters of water, which has lead to the dry-up of
artesian springs in the highlands of the valley.
Simon Andreasyan, Ararat province's Hovtashat community leader,
says that as a result of the fish farms, 110 out of Hovtashat's 130
springs have dried up. Because of this, he says, villagers are unable
to work the 700 hectares (about 1,730 acres) of the village's 1040
hectare hectares (about 2,570 acres) arable lands, and only 500 heads
of livestock now remain out of the initial 1,300.
"We have 1040 families, 3,500 people in our village, and nobody has
left their home, no door has been locked and abandoned. But these
people are unable to work their land, drinking and irrigation water
springs have dried up, fields have dried, there is not grass, and
they couldn't help but slaughtering their livestock, and all that is
caused by fish breeding households," Andreasyan told ArmeniaNow.
The problems listed by Andreasyan are not unique to his village only;
almost all the highland villages of the Ararat valley are facing the
same challenges. Last year the government called a special commission
to study the situation and find solutions.
"The water resources of the Ararat valley have significantly decreased
over the past 2-3 years and it's a serious issue. But that water is
not only for fish breeding, it is also for drinking and irrigation,"
concluded head of the special commission, minister of territorial
administration Armen Gevorgyan, after studying the case.
The commission discovered that out of the 87 fish farms in the Ararat
valley, only 27 can safely be used to drill wells, siphon water or
build breeding reservoirs, whereas the rest are more fit for farming
or industrial utilization. And not one of the 147 entities of Armavir
province is fit for fish breeding, according to the study.
It also turned out that there are 5,424 deep-dug wells in the
country, that have no water meters installed. Hence, as part of the
solution to the issue, the government decided to place water meters
on each artesian water well, in order to oversee and regulate water
consumption.
During his August 17 visit to Armavir province minister of
environmental protection Aram Harutyunan informed fish breeders that
they each have to acquire water meters on their own.
The issue, however, cannot be solved by just placing water meters,
says Hovtashat village head Andreasyan.
"It is no proper way, that some 300-400 people owning fish breeding
households and their families enjoy themselves and become trout and
swim in water, while thousands of people suffer from that," he says
with frustration, meaning that a few families become exclusively
better off.
From: A. Papazian