The assessment was carried out by the Investment Group LLC with the joint assistance of the UNDP "Environmental Protection of Lake Sevan" (EU4Sevan) and the UNDP-GCF programs "National adaptation program to promote medium- and long-term adaptation planning in Armenia", according to the request of the RA Ministry of Environment aimed at ensuring the implementation of the Water Code.
Due to the increase in water pollution by industry, household and other uses, an increase in demand for water, as well as the existing and projected decline in water resources due to climate change, secondary water use becomes necessary and relevant, especially in order to meet irrigation needs in the Ararat Valley and reduce pressure on Lake Sevan and various sectors of the economy.
Sustainable management of water resources and the application of measures to adapt to climate change, including solutions for the secondary use of water, are necessary prerequisites for overcoming conflicts of water scarcity.
The study also includes recent developments in Armenia and at the international level, highlighting gaps in the current policy, legal and institutional shortcomings, economic barriers, as well as difficulties and risks in organizing the process of re- (secondary) use of water in Armenia.
In her speech, Deputy Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia Gayane Gabrielyan stressed the importance of secondary water use, especially taking into account the recently amended and approved Water Code of the Republic of Armenia, which enshrines reuse of water. He stressed that the updated code should lead Armenia to a new quality water use site, since secondary water use is important both from a financial, economic and environmental point of view.
Eu4sevan UNDP Program Coordinator Astghik Danielyan welcomed the participants of the meeting and stressed the importance of the study for the effective management of water resources of the Republic of Armenia, which will have an impact on the situation of overcoming the problems of Lake Sevan. He also stressed that during the evaluation, the Investment Group LLC worked closely with the relevant departments of the RA Ministry of Environment and other interested parties to ensure that the document meets the needs set.
The seminar ended with the mutual understanding that a very applicable material has been developed, which will become the basis for the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia in the direction of developing appropriate policies and legislative regulations in the direction of stimulating re- (secondary) water use in Armenia.
The Lake Sevan Environmental Protection Program (EU4Sevan) is jointly funded by the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany (OECD). It is part of the "ECOServe" program funded by the OECD of Germany. The program is implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GMO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The program "National Adaptation Program to Promote Medium- and long-term adaptation planning in Armenia", implemented by UNDP with funding from the Green Climate Fund, is coordinated by the RA Ministry of Environment.