Armenia: Reservoir construction in Turkey causing major water problem

PanARMENIAN.Net - Reservoir construction in Turkey is causing a problem of water resources on the border with Armenia, according to Levon Azizyan, the Acting Director of Armenia's Hydrometeorological and Monitoring Center.

Azizyan revealed that today Akhurian Reservoir – a reservoir on the Akhurian River between Armenia and Turkey – contains 100 million cubic meters less water than it did last year.

Built between 1975 and 1980 by Turkey and the Soviet Union, the reservoir began operations in 1980. Its water is used for irrigation in Armenia's Aragatsotn, Armavir and Shirak provinces, as well as Turkey's Kars and Ardahan provinces.

"Beginning from 2012, water resources of Araks River have significantly declined – by about 30-40% – due to reservoir construction in Turkey," the official added.

Azizyan noted that vulnerability of water resources due to climate change is a serious problem, as average temperatures have been on the rise since 1994, with the snow accumulation process becoming more and more rare.

"Our estimates show that we are going to have vulnerabilities in water resources – a decrease by some 15% in 2040, 20-25% by 2070 and 35-40% by 2100," the official said, adding that "every drop of water should be used sparingly."