HAILSTORMS ADD TO KARABAKH’S WOES
By Ashot Beglarian
June 12 2008

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK

String of natural calamities poses major challenge for cash-strapped
government.

Devastating hailstorms are the latest in a series of acts of nature
that have tested the ability of Nagorny Karabakh’s government to
provide an adequate response.

The heavy hail which fell for a week throughout the region caused
serious damage, especially in the Shaumian region. Melons and other
fruit were destroyed, and livestock and poultry suffered badly. Seventy
per cent of roofs were damaged, windows were broken, and roads became
impassable.

"Some of the hailstones were the size of billiard balls," said a
resident of the village of Artem. "I’ve never seen anything like
it. All our work has gone to waste. I don’t know what to do."

The authorities immediately set about dealing with the situation, in
particular repairing the roads. Villagers were promised construction
materials to fix their roofs and other damaged property. But many
realised that the government’s resources were limited and it would
be left largely up to them to sort out their problems.

This was only the latest in a series of disasters that have hit Nagorny
Karabakh and drained the resources of the current government, formed
last autumn.

An outbreak of African swine fever late last year resulted in the
death of most pigs in Nagorny Karabakh. The Martakert and Askeran
regions in the east were especially badly affected.

The incoming prime minister, Ara Harutiunian, launched an emergency
scheme under which sick animals were slaughtered and buried to prevent
the epidemic spreading.

The swine fever was eventually contained, although some new cases
are still being recorded, especially in the southern Hadrut district.

The farming sector suffered significant losses, and most Karabakhi
families celebrated New Year without the traditional pork dinner.

Farmers received compensation for slaughtered livestock, and
the government imposed controls over the production of meat from
uninfected pigs.

"We shouldn’t leave villagers to face these problems alone," said
Harutiunian, promising that his government would buy up healthy pigs
for 800 drams (around 2.50 US dollars) per kilogram.

One legacy of the outbreak is the unlikely sight of Australian pork
chops on sale in the local capital Stepanakert.

"They look more attractive and they’re probably easier and quicker
to cook. but they don’t taste the same," said Hrach, a local
butcher. "People are afraid to buy local pork, even though the meat
that we receive has been guaranteed as safe."

It is not just a matter of health – the retail price of
Karabakh-produced pork has doubled to 3,000 drams (just over 10
dollars) a kilo, making it 1,000 drams more expensive than the
imported meat.

The damage caused by another crisis, the heavy winter frosts, continues
to be felt. Temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees, villages lost
their electricity supply, roads were blocked and apartment blocks in
Stepanakert were deprived of water.

The power cuts and road blockages were overcome fairly quickly, but
the low temperatures paralysed a water system that had been barely
repaired since Soviet times.

Several areas of Stepanakert had no running water throughout the
winter, and some housing blocks were supplied with water from fire
engines. The government promised to construct an all-new water system
for the city and invited experts from the Armenian capital Yerevan
to help plan it.

Nagorny Karabakh had barely recovered from the winter crisis when a
severe storm caused yet more damage on March 22. Roofs were blown off,
and trees, electricity lines and even gravestones were blown over. In
some villages, whole houses were destroyed. No one was killed, but
12 people were injured.

Once again, Prime Minister Harutiunian found himself in charge of the
clear-up operation. The damage was estimated at around 250 million
drams, or 850,000 dollars.

"The damage is immense," said Harutiunian. "It’s the first time we
have encountered a situation like this since the war ended [in 1994]
and we were basically unequipped to deal with it."

Armenia stepped in with help, sending 80 builders to help with the
reconstruction work. Construction materials were also sent, although
some Karabakhis were unhappy with the way it was handed out.

"Unfortunately, the materials were distributed in such a way as not
to offend anyone," said Samvel Narimanian, who lives in the town of
Martuni. "Everyone got something, but there wasn’t enough to do full
reconstruction and repairs. So a lot of people had to buy the material
that was missing."

Some government officials agreed, saying certain people claimed funds
when their houses were not badly damaged.

One positive outcome of the storm is that many apartment blocks in
Stepanakert have acquired solid new roofs.

In their different ways, these serial catastrophes have not only
damaged infrastructure which was only just recovering from the 1991-94
war, but have deflected the government from pursuing its ambitious
plans to revive the economy.