State of emergency declared in Stepanakert due to severe shortage of water

YEREVAN, August 13. /ARKA/. Authorities in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh have declared a state of emergency due to a severe shortage of drinking water caused by a protracted drought.

According to Artsakh Emergency Situations Service, about 30% of the city’s population is without water. It said a working group was set up for round-the-clock delivery of water to residents by 5 trucks.

Armenpress news agency quoted the director of Water and Sewerage Company Gagik Poghosyan as saying that over the past 40 days there has been no rain in Stepanakert, and the air temperature has not dropped below 30 degrees.

He added that the problem is worsened because of some 15 thousand internally displaced persons, who found shelter in Stepanakert after last year’ 44-day war.

‘In other words, if before the war the population of Stepanakert stood at 61,000 people, now there are a total of 75, 00 people. Naturally, water consumption has increased, while the city's water supply has decreased. We have already mastered two artesian wells left over from the Soviet Union and continue searching and exploiting the rest,” Poghosyan said.

When asked whether Azerbaijan might be involved in the water problem, Poghosyan answered negatively.

Hunan Tadevosyan, public relations officer of the State Emergency Service told Armenpress that rescuers distribute water to residents in different districts of the capital from early morning until late at night.

According to Tadevosyan, the situation is unprecedented. There were problems with water in the past, but this is the first time it has been this long, he said.

Stepanakert receives water from the Meghraget, Hraget and Vararak rivers. The water flow has almost halved in the first two, while the third has completely dried up.

Stepanakert Mayor David Sargsyan ordered to stop using water at all car washing stations and in recreation areas until the restoration of water supplies. -0-