LAKE SEVAN LEVEL CONTINUES GROWING

YEREVAN, JUNE 14. ARMINFO, June 12 the level of Lake Sevan was 1,898.27
meters which is 42 cm higher than last year, says the spokesman of
Armenia’s Health Care Ministry Artsrun Pepanyan.

120 mln c m of water will be released this year for irrigation via
the Sevan-Hrazdan water power cascade.

In 1933-1950 the level of Sevan dropped by 19 meters putting it on
the verge of disaster by 1991. If in 1990 released for irrigation
were 208 mln c m of water – in 1993 as much as 1.643 bln c m. This
lowered the level by 2 more meters and killed several species of fish.

Since 1998 the Ministry has been working to reduce water release from
the lake and to restore the “pearl” of the republic. In 1999 the
government built Argel water power plant and Arzni-Shamiram water
canal to stop water release in the winter. In 2001 the parliament
approved a law on Sevan aiming to raise the lake’s level by 6 meters
and prevent its eutrophication.

In 2004 the government launched Vorotan-Arpa water canal allowing
to transfer to Sevan 165 mln c m of water from Spandaryan water
reservoir. This will allow to raise Sevan’s level by 20 cm a year
and to ensure the planned 6 meters in 30 years. In the last two years
the level has been raised by 94 cm – much more than expected.