Seven years after joining the EBRD’s Green Cities programme, is Yerevan’s green future going up in flames? 02 June 2023

In May 2023, a massive fire broke out at the Nubarashen landfill on the outskirts of Yerevan, enveloping the city in a cloud of toxic smoke generated by the burning waste. It took 10 days and 2,300 truckloads of soil to extinguish the flames. Coming seven years after Yerevan became a pioneer by joining the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)’s Green Cities initiative, this incident is a stark reminder of the urgent need to adopt a safer and more sustainable approach to waste management and urban planning...

According to EcoLur’s findings, air pollution in Yerevan has increased due to excess levels of dust and nitrogen dioxide. ‘Yerevan has failed to reach the mid-term targets for air pollution reduction outlined in Yerevan’s Green City Action Plan,’ said Victoria Burnazyan, EcoLur’s Vice-President and author of the report.

When it comes to waste, the situation in Yerevan is not much better. Despite the EBRD, the EIB and the EU committing a combined EUR 27 million for the modernisation of the Nubarashen landfill in 2015, the Armenian capital still lacks a sanitary landfill that meets EU standards. In addition, no waste processing plant has been constructed. As demonstrated by the recent fire, the current landfill poses a threat to the safety, health and environment of Yerevan’s residents...