‘Ijevan Waste Management Plan’ Project to Start in Armenia in July
arminfo
2007-07-07 11:58:00
Within the framework of the development of the UK Government to Armenia
the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is
funding "Ijevan Waste Management Plan" Project. The Project is aimed at
the elaboration of a waste management plan and provision of financial
resources for the waste management short-term activities in Ijevan. The
Armenia office of the UK Department for International Development will
manage and monitor the project implementation.
The Project starts in July and is to be finalized by the end of the
year. The Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration, Ministry of
Nature Protection and the Health Ministry are also involved into the
Project. The Project is continuation of the programme of UK Department
for International Development (DFID) that started in Armenia in 2003.
The overall objective of the project is to promote replicable methods
of improving organic waste management and to introduce an improved
contemporary refuse removal system in Ijevan town as an issue of utmost
importance for sustainable development of the community and a sound
contribution to the economic development of Tavush region. The Project
budget totals 84,000 pounds sterling.
The waste management of the town has become a crucial issue in light of
the environment safety and hygienic security, as well as the growing
prospects of the tourism development in Ijevan. Today, no
specially designed and efficiently implemented waste management system
is operational in Ijevan. About 35-40 m3 of waste in total accumulate
in the streets across the community on a daily basis. At
present, only some 25-30% of it is being cleaned away. Although around
AMD 40 million was allocated from the municipal budget in 2006 and for
2007 this figure is foreseen as level of about AMD 45 million, this
does not suffice for upgrading the obsolete and insufficient technical
facilities of the waste operator. Unhappy with services delivered, only
40-45% of population now pay for refuse removal. British Ambassador to
Armenia Anthony Cantor said at a press conference in Ijevan that the
programme aims to elaborate a waste management system and fund the
project implementation. It is an issue of utmost importance for
sustainable development of the community and a sound contribution to
the economic development of the region. The project will contribute to
the poverty reduction in the region, the Ambassador said.
For his part, Tavush Governor Armen Gularyan pointed out the importance
of the project for development of the region. He stressed the necessity
of revealing the most vulnerable problems of the
community.
Ameria CJSC will take over a broad range of consulting activities
within the Project, ensuring wide and multilateral participation in the
Project for local environmental NGOs and international organizations.
As the implementing agency of the Project, America CJSC will be
responsible for the implementation of the two consequent phases of the
Project: Technical Assistance Phase and Investment Support Phase.
Technical Assistance Phase will include development of the Waste
Management Plan (assessing waste management regulatory framework,
environmental impact, costs analysis, tariff development and finance
structuring, , development of Waste management sort-term and long-term
Action Plans), conducting of the Household Survey (assessing public
awareness and public willingness to pay) and
organization of Public Campaigns. The Investment Support Phase assumes
provision of specialized waste removal and collection vehicles,
equipment and machinery to municipal authorities.
Ameria is a group of professional services companies registered in
Armenia with the objective to provide a comprehensive package of
professional advisory and assurance services. Ameria specializes in
four major areas of professional activities; management of advisory
services; assurance and advisor services; legal advisory services;
investment banking. Established in 1998, the company has become a
leader in the Armenian market of advisory services bringing an
international reach and local touch to complex issues rising in more
than 30 industry sectors.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
