STATEMENTS ON CATASTROPHIC STATE OF LAKE SEVAN EXAGGERATED: DIRECTOR OF HYDRO- ECOLOGY AND ICHTHYOLOGY INSTITUTE

Yerevan, August 8. ArmInfo. The statements by ecologist of Armenia
regarding the catastrophic state of Lake Sevan are exaggerated, Rafael
Hovhannissyan, Director of Hydro-ecology and Ichthyology Institute,
National Academy of Science of Armenia, told ArmInfo.

He called a normal factor the rotting of plants that went under
water due to the rise of the lake’s level. He did not deny that
waterlogging increases the harmful substances in the water, which
leads to deficit of oxygen and kills small fish. R. Hovhannisyan said
after the cleaning of coastal areas, the so- called "blossoming" in
the lake will stop. Moreover, he thinks the great volume of plankton
that was a result of eutrophication will become a good source of food
for fish and animals.

To note, in the current year the Government of Armenia provided 69
million drams to the National Park "Sevan" for cleaning of coasts
from plantations as the yearly water rise by 40 cm in average leads
to rotting of coastal plantations. Specialists and ecologists say the
cleaning is carried out extremely ineffectively. Water has flooded
over 92 ha of lands planted with trees and bushes.