Mutations Found in Lake Sevan's Ecosystem: Styopa Safaryan

Styopa Safaryan, a member of the Public Council and a political scientist, wrote on his Facebook page: “As a public report, I would like to inform you that today the first issue on the agenda of the Public Council was related to the Lake Sevan issue. I directed questions to Mr. Yuri Javadyan, the council member presenting the issue, and to Edgar Pirumyan, head of the Ministry of Environment’s department, regarding the results of the studies conducted by local and foreign experts, as well as the current condition of the lake and the dirty turquoise color of the water.

As Mr. Pirumyan stated, the German researchers have not yet submitted their final conclusions. The situation is almost the same for Armenian researchers, as confirmed by Mr. Javadyan. We are waiting for the results and evaluations of all factors.

Regarding the current situation, Pirumyan noted that the upper, middle, and lower layers of the lake are close to normal, with some deviations in the bottom layer. He also explained that the color phenomenon is related to separated calcium. The chair of the commission, Karine Danielyan, responded to my question, stating that in the bottom layer, the temperature at 4 degrees, with minor exceptions, differs by several degrees from normal, which is dangerous.

Additionally, she mentioned that mutations have been identified in the ecosystem, likely due to pollution flowing into the lake. Of course, everyone agrees that this does not mean that Lake Sevan is not endangered. Expect a detailed and professional discussion about the Lake Sevan issue at our Institute in the near future.”