ArmInfo. The single operator of the water supply and sewerage system of Armenia, the French company Veolia Jour, claims that it does not shirk its contractual obligations.
To recall, Areyan earlier said that the capital was faced with the problem of water shortage. "The biggest concern is physical water loss - 65%. This is a bitter wastefulness for a city and a country with such fresh water," he emphasized. As an official from Radio Azatutyun stated, according to the contract signed with the government in 2016, Veolia pledged to significantly reduce these losses, however, according to experts, the volume of losses remains enormous even after 7 years. At the same time, the company does not bear any obligation to expand the network or make large investments. When asked what needs to be done now so that Yerevan residents are not left without water and unwashed, the mayor's adviser said: "Veolia" proposes to solve the aggravated water problem through other sources that are not currently being used, and thus ensure its quantity. City authorities are against it. Today it became known that the mayor's office proposed to the government to reconsider the agreement with Velolia Jur in order to fill this gap.
When the contract began in 2017, the baseline loss rate was 81.6%, indicating the poor state of the system, the company said in a statement. A significant part of them is the result of system wear and tear, the company notes. Natural phenomena (for example, landslides in some parts of Garni, the Arzni aqueduct) and human intervention (for example, illegal mining in the Arzni valley, the Aparan aqueduct) also contributed to this matter. Despite this, the company has already ensured the indicator of unaccounted for water (losses), established by the agreement for 2031 at the level of 55%, Veolia noted in its statement.
The company reminds that its obligations for the 15 years of the lease agreement are limited to a mandatory capital works program in the amount of 45 billion drams (including VAT), which is intended for the entire service area of Yerevan and 45 urban settlements and 334 rural settlements.
Assessing the current development trend of the city of Yerevan, the company expressed concern that with the current investment policy, it will be problematic to provide additional demand for water in the near future. Taking this into account, the company proposed to have a strategic reserve in the city, that is, to use new wells, for example, from the Makravan well - about 350 l/s, from the Arzakan-Solak well - 700 l/s. etc., which must be financed from other sources. Otherwise, you will have to wait until the company can eliminate losses only from its financial resources.
However, according to Veolia Jur, it does not shirk its contractual obligations and continues daily work to identify losses through other measures.
