Working groups must be created to address air pollution and traffic congestion issues, says Pashinyan

YEREVAN, November 27. /ARKA/. Two working groups must be created in Armenia to address air pollution and traffic management issues in Yerevan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a government meeting today.

He said he would ask his staff to submit proposals regarding the composition of these groups. 'First and foremost, we must include the air pollution issue on the agenda, understand it, and provide concrete solutions. The second group will focus on reducing traffic congestion in Yerevan," Pashinyan said.

The prime minister demanded that appropriate public accountability mechanisms be established and that he be personally briefed on the results of these efforts, involving a broad cross-section of the public and experts.

Earlier, Pashinyan described traffic in the capital as "chaos and crisis," expressing outrage at the number of cars.

Kristina Vardanyan, an associate professor in the Department of Hygiene and Ecology at Yerevan State Medical University and a member of the Council of Elders of the opposition National Progress faction, told Novosti-Armenia that air quality in Yerevan is getting worse and worse. The ecologist noted that the most vulnerable groups include children, the elderly, people with chronic conditions (especially respiratory diseases), and allergy sufferers. She noted that the only filter that protects the air from pollution—trees—are being cut down throughout Yerevan.-0-