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Representative of environmental NGOs held a rally on Tuesday in front of Armenia’s National Assembly to protest the hearing of the controversial draft Law on “Approving the Annual and Complex Programmes of the Restoration, Preservation, Reproduction and Use Events of Lake Sevan Ecosystems.”

Initiated by the Government, the bill proposes to increase water drainage from Lake Sevan by 100 million square meters to make in total 270 million square meters, which is assessed as a deadly hazard for the lake, as it will lose the strategic reserve of the freshwater and cause irreversible damage to the lake ecosystem.

Protesters call on the government and the lawmakers to stop all the projects regarding Lake Sevan arguing those would have disastrous consequences for one the world’s exceptional sweet water resources. Silva Adamyan, told Panorama.ma the restoration of the ecosystem and the quality of the water will be extremely difficult.
The bill that was earlier debated and endorsed by the Parliament Standing Committee on Territorial Administration, Agriculture and Environment for debating in the first reading in the National Assembly Extraordinary Session, is justified by irrigation purposes.
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov pointed out at the Parliament hearing to the urgent need of providing irrigation water to 130 thousand villagers to be able to cultivate some 40 thousand hectares of land. 
The key speaker, Chairman of the State Committee for Water Management of the RA Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources Arsen Harutyunyan presented the project, suggesting the Givernment has adopted a balanced approach to the matter.