€6.5 Million Grant, International Experts Called to Address Lake Sevan Issues

The Ministry of Environment has shared information on its Facebook page regarding the ecological status of Lake Sevan and the measures being taken to address the situation. Recently, an increase in cyanobacteria of the Anabaena genus has been recorded in Lake Sevan. This alga was first observed in the lake in the 1940s, with the first bloom recorded in 1964, and varying scales of blooms have reoccurred in subsequent years, including a significant bloom in 2018.

The following organizations will be involved in the efforts:

• Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Lake Research (Germany)
• Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research (Warnemünde, Germany)
• EOMAP GmbH Seefeld, Earth Observation and Environmental Services (Germany)
• Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia
• Center for Monitoring and Information of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia
• Hydrometeorological and Active Influence Service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia

A €6.5 million grant has been tentatively approved by the EU for addressing the environmental challenges related to Lake Sevan.

The government also discussed the cleaning of rivers flowing into the lake, which in some areas, especially near settlements, have become dumping sites.

Additionally, areas under water that require cleaning up to an elevation of 1901.5m (770 hectares) have been identified, a tender has been announced, and plans are underway for complete cleaning from 2019 to 2022.

The ministry is developing legislative initiatives aimed at reducing pollution from communal sewage.

Moreover, 14 major operators operating in the coastal zones of Lake Sevan have already installed wastewater treatment plants at their service and leisure points as per the ministry's requirements.