Construction of an embankment along the Araks River is continuing, Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure said, according to Sputnik Armenia.

“We inform you that the work is continuing,” the ministry said in response to an inquiry.

The ministry did not provide additional details.

Armenia spent about one and a half years coordinating the issue of constructing the embankment on the banks of the Araks River with Turkey, although the convention governing boundary rivers and streams between the two countries stipulates that Armenia is only required to provide timely notification about such construction and does not require formal approval.

The embankment being built in the section of the river near the communities of Araksavan and Burastan to restore the Araks River to its former channel is estimated to cost about $1 million.

As a result of illegal sand extraction on the Armenian side, the course of the Araks River, which forms part of the border with Turkey, changed, leading to the formation of an island covering approximately 330 hectares. To prevent potential problems, the ministry proposed constructing an embankment about 130 meters long and 8 meters deep to redirect the water flow back to its previous channel.