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ARMENIAN ENVIRONMENTAL NGOS TO HOLD PROTEST AMID CONCERNS OVER SEVAN
11:09 â~@¢ 25.04.14
Several environmental NGOs are organizing a protest later today
to voice concerns over draft legal proposals for increasing the
permissible limits of water release from Lake Sevan and launching
trout fishing industries in the area.
The NGOs, including S.O.S. Sevan, have fears that permission to add
annually 5,000 tons of artificial food to the lake may turn Sevan
into an aquarium.
Speaking to Tert.am, Satik Badeyan, an environmentalist representing
the Territorial Development and Research Center, said the first bill
proposes increasing the amount of the annual permissible water release
limit from 170 million to 240 million cubic meters, with the second
draft justifying the need of using artificial food to grow annually
up to 50,000 tons of trout in the lake.
"Eight scientific-research institutions worked for two years to
elaborate the law 'On Lake Sevan'. It was decided, as a result, that
170 cubic meters was the maximum permissible water quantity that
could be released; a higher quantity was thought to contributed to
the acceleration of bogging. And Sevan's level finally increased over
these years, with the bogging process being stopped," she explained.
The environmentalist said they would not object to the growth of
trout with natural food out of the lake.
"The bogging threat today comes from the organic substance in Sevan,"
she said, adding that the plans for filling the lake with artificial
food could contribute to bogging.
"They are going to fill annually 5,000 tons of artificial food which
contains also modified substances. Anyone having an aquarium will
understand that," Badeyan added.
Inga Zarafyan, an environmentalist who is also going to join today's
protest, said in further comments to Tert.am that both legal proposals
are likely cause a big damage to Sevan. She expressed concerns over
a possible decrease of the water level.
"We saw something of the kind in 2012; official records revealed a
decrease by 2 cm. And a decrease in the water level causes bogging. We
say that it has to rise at least to a minimal level every year,"
she noted.
The National Assembly is to debate the controversial bills at its
upcoming session next week.
The protest action will starting Friday noon. The participants will
head to the Sevan-Hrazdan canal and the Sevan National Park from the
town's ring-shaped square of the. The event will continue on Monday
outside the National Assembly's building in Yerevan.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/04/25/sossevan/
11:09 â~@¢ 25.04.14
Several environmental NGOs are organizing a protest later today
to voice concerns over draft legal proposals for increasing the
permissible limits of water release from Lake Sevan and launching
trout fishing industries in the area.
The NGOs, including S.O.S. Sevan, have fears that permission to add
annually 5,000 tons of artificial food to the lake may turn Sevan
into an aquarium.
Speaking to Tert.am, Satik Badeyan, an environmentalist representing
the Territorial Development and Research Center, said the first bill
proposes increasing the amount of the annual permissible water release
limit from 170 million to 240 million cubic meters, with the second
draft justifying the need of using artificial food to grow annually
up to 50,000 tons of trout in the lake.
"Eight scientific-research institutions worked for two years to
elaborate the law 'On Lake Sevan'. It was decided, as a result, that
170 cubic meters was the maximum permissible water quantity that
could be released; a higher quantity was thought to contributed to
the acceleration of bogging. And Sevan's level finally increased over
these years, with the bogging process being stopped," she explained.
The environmentalist said they would not object to the growth of
trout with natural food out of the lake.
"The bogging threat today comes from the organic substance in Sevan,"
she said, adding that the plans for filling the lake with artificial
food could contribute to bogging.
"They are going to fill annually 5,000 tons of artificial food which
contains also modified substances. Anyone having an aquarium will
understand that," Badeyan added.
Inga Zarafyan, an environmentalist who is also going to join today's
protest, said in further comments to Tert.am that both legal proposals
are likely cause a big damage to Sevan. She expressed concerns over
a possible decrease of the water level.
"We saw something of the kind in 2012; official records revealed a
decrease by 2 cm. And a decrease in the water level causes bogging. We
say that it has to rise at least to a minimal level every year,"
she noted.
The National Assembly is to debate the controversial bills at its
upcoming session next week.
The protest action will starting Friday noon. The participants will
head to the Sevan-Hrazdan canal and the Sevan National Park from the
town's ring-shaped square of the. The event will continue on Monday
outside the National Assembly's building in Yerevan.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/04/25/sossevan/