ArmInfo. It is very important to institutionally strengthen and increase the capacity of water supply and sanitation services in rural settlements of Armenia. Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia Vache Terteryan stated during a meeting with a delegation headed by Director of French Development Agency's (AFD) regional office in the South Caucasus Fanny Delpey.
According to the press service of the department, the Deputy Minister presented to the guests the details of the construction of the Vedi reservoir and the modernization of the irrigation system, projects for the development of irrigated agriculture in the Ararat and Armavir regions. Minister Terteryan also spoke about the opportunities to support the comprehensive development of the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia, the ongoing national policy and planning of water resources, improving the management of irrigation systems and the provision of services in the context of the Water & Irrigation Services Enhancement (WISE) project.
During the meeting, issues related to the process of technical assistance to the AFD aimed at managing public investments were also discussed.
Earlier, ArmInfo reported that the construction of the Vedi reservoir, which should be put into operation this year, continues in Armenia with loan funds from the French Development Agency of 75 million euros. In general, it is planned to build 15 small reservoirs in the country by 2026. Previously, tenders were announced for the design of six small reservoirs, of which five tenders were held. Currently, the process of developing a feasibility study for these five reservoirs is underway. Out of 15 reservoirs, at least 4 have encountered problems associated with a decrease in water flows, and therefore the issue of changing their construction site is being discussed. Work also continues on the construction of large reservoirs. In particular, during the implementation of the Vedi reservoir construction project, more than 70 meters of the 85-meter dam were built.
On January 26, 2016, in order to finance the construction of a reservoir in Vedi, the French Development Agency allocated a loan of 75 million euros to the Republic of Armenia (co-financing from the Government of the Republic of Armenia will amount to 15 million euros), within the framework of which it is planned to build a reservoir with a volume of 29.4 cubic meters and a water surface of 120 hectares. The sources of water will be the rivers of the Ararat region - Vedi and Khosrov. Full implementation of the program will make it possible to alleviate the problem of water shortage in the Ararat Valley, as well as move from mechanical irrigation to a gravity supply system, which, in turn, will lead to energy savings. The project was initially planned to be completed within four years, but at the end of May 2022, according to the RA government, the project was completed by 77 percent.
As for the restoration of the Kaps reservoir, KfW Bank announced its agreement to finance this project. The Kaps reservoir, unfinished due to the 1988 earthquake, with a design capacity of 110 million cubic meters of water, is located in the Shirak region, 22 km north-west of the city of Gyumri, in the valley of the Akhuryan River. The program, with a total budget of 70 million euros, is financed by the German Development Bank -KfW. The loan agreement came into force on June 29, 2019, the deadline for using the funds was set until December 30, 2019, but was then extended until June 30, 2024. At the first stage of the program, it is planned to complete the construction of a reservoir with a capacity of 25 million cubic meters of water. At the second stage, it is planned to increase the infrastructure to 60 million cubic meters. The project provides for the construction of auxiliary structures for the Cape Reservoir dam, equipping hydrological observation points of the Akhuryan River (from Lake Arpi to the Akhuryan Reservoir), construction of additional stations, and creation of a centralized database (SCADA system).
