From overexploitation of water resources to river pollution and unemployment: problems in Goris enlarged community, 16 February 2022

Goris enlarged community, Syunik Region, Armenia, has faced a number of problems: lack of jobs, over-exploitation of water resources due to the development of hydropower, unpromising tourism, agriculture. At the same time, security issues have been exacerbated by the post-war situation...

...The development of the hydropower sector in Goris enlarged community has led to the overexploitation of water resources, the reduction of environmental flow in rivers and the shortage of water during the irrigation season, which, in its turn, hinders the development of agriculture. The community does not have sufficient services and infrastructure for tourism, garbage collection is not carried out properly, there is no sewage treatment plant, the cultivation of greenhouse crops is not developed in rural areas...

The other problem is unemployment. In 2019, the unemployment rate in Goris is 16.5%...

Contour Global Hydro Cascade CJSC operates Vorotan hydrocomplex, as well as a number of SHPPs in Goris community. "The company operating the SHPP cannot ensure great profitability, so in this situation the community cannot expect social support from the SHPP. In another case, the SHPP design did not consider irrigation water requirements and irrigation regimes. At the same time, the rights of people carrying out irrigation from the river are violated, because, according to RA Water Code, the water intake for the production of electricity from the river is subordinated to the water intake for irrigation purposes," the expert said...