On April 22, an extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly was convened at the initiative of the Government. The draft law on Making Amendments to the Law “On Specially Protected Nature Areas” was debated. It was presented in the first reading by Hakob Simidyan, Minister of Environment of the RA.
The draft law proposes to create a legal basis, according to which water abstraction from the territory of a state reserve may be permitted exclusively in cases when the use of water resources is a vital necessity to ensure the water supply of adjacent communities for drinking, domestic or agricultural (irrigation) purposes and when alternative water sources are not available in the given area. The regulation will apply only to cases of water abstraction for drinking, domestic and agricultural (irrigation) purposes through water systems built in reserves before the entry into force of the Law “On Specially Protected Nature Areas” of December 2, 1991.
According to the Minister, the urgency of adopting the initiative is conditioned by solving the water problem for 670 hectares of irrigation areas and 1.400 subscribers in Garni Community.
“In 1972, during the Soviet regime, a water system was built in Khosrov Forest State Reserve, from which Garni Community received irrigation water,” Hakob Simidyan underlined.
Taking into consideration the above, the Government proposes to issue permits for the use of water for drinking or irrigation purposes through constructed water systems by January 4, 1992, which coincides with the adoption of the Law “On Specially Protected Nature Areas” of December 2, 1991 in independent Armenia, if no other water source is available in the given area.
The initiative was adopted in the first reading.
By the decision of the NA, the debate of the agenda item in the second reading will be held within twenty-four hours after its adoption in the first reading.