ArmInfo.The process of implementing capital programs will continue to be in the focus of attention of the Prime Minister. This was announced during a meeting in the Government of the Republic of Armenia chaired by Nikol Pashinyan, during which the participants discussed issues related to capital programs planned for the current year in the field of water supply and credit programs attracted years earlier.
In this regard, the Prime Minister emphasized that these programs solve both economic and social problems, and from this point of view they are of fundamental importance.
According to the press service of the government, the prime minister was presented with the progress of the construction of the Kaps and Vedi reservoirs, as well as the process of modernization and improvement of irrigation and water supply systems. In particular, it was noted that from the beginning of the year, work was carried out to organize tenders for the above programs, which will be continued within the planned time frame. The tender for the Kaps reservoir, according to the source, is in the process, the start of construction work is scheduled for the summer. The Vedi reservoir project is being implemented on schedule.
Meanwhile, according to the RA Water Commttee, this year it is planned to increase the area of irrigated land in the country by 3000 hectares. It is reported that already through the Arpa-Sevan tunnel, 34.6 million cubic meters of water were transferred to Lake Sevan, instead of 26.5 million cubic meters for the same period last year.
At the same time, according to the source, large-scale work on cleaning the canals and repairing pumping stations began in the Ararat and Armavir regions. As noted in the message, in these areas, water supply systems will be fully prepared for uninterrupted water supply by the beginning of the growing season. In addition, with the joint efforts of water user companies, household and construction waste was cleaned up and water supply systems with a total length of 4,500 km were restored. And from the side of Jrar JSC, work is underway to clean and repair the main water pipelines of Arzni-Shamiram, Down Hrazdan, Artashat, Talin and Armavir, etc.
To recall, earlier KfW Bank provided Armenia with a loan of 50 million euros and a grant of 2 million euros for the implementation of the program to modernize the Kaps reservoir on the Akhuryan River. Financial resources will be directed to the restoration of the Kaps reservoir and the re-equipment of its infrastructure. In particular, funds were allocated to complete the reconstruction of the reservoir with a volume of 25 million cubic meters on the Akhuryan River, which will allow using this resource exclusively for irrigation purposes. On June 20, the Armenian government also approved an agreement with KfW on the provision of a grant of EUR 2.7 million for the development of documentation on the restoration of the Kaps reservoir. Then, presenting the draft decision, RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan noted that under the agreement KfW will provide Armenia a loan of 18.5 million euros for the restoration of the Kaps reservoir, the volume of which will be brought up to 25 million cubic meters. It is also planned to modernize the Kumayri water canal, through which water will be supplied from the reservoir and due to which it will be possible to irrigate 740 hectares of agricultural land. In January 2016, a loan agreement of ? 75 million was signed between Armenia and the French Development Agency for the construction of the Vedi reservoir. The document was signed on the basis of the strategic program for the long-term development of Armenia for 2014-2025. The loan is provided for a period of 20 years with a six-year grace period. The construction of the dam and auxiliary infrastructure is planned to be completed in March 2021.
