It is clear that our country develops spontaneously. We live and carry out activities but we don’t know what will happen: if there are any problems connected with our activities in the future, we will solve them. We don’t try to predict and analyze anything in order to evade possible problems. This is the principle according to which our city is being built now. The authorized bodies don’t consider and take into account any architectural standards when building the constructions in the central territory of our city. Soviet Yerevan was built in accordance with some principles and standards. There were populated territories, greenery and sightseeing places in the center. There were factories in some remote districts of Yerevan. Some remote districts were intended for people that came home from work and were intended to provide conditions for them to have a rest (these were called “sleeping districts”). All substructures of Yerevan were made according to some principles of Soviet capitals. The widest street of Yerevan was the street connecting the center with production-oriented district (the existing Arshakunyats street). Sewage tubes of Yerevan center were narrow. There weren’t so many leisure places and cafes in the center then like we have now. Sewage pipes were old in the central community, because it was the oldest part of the city. These pipes were mainly made in 50-60s. The water pipes of Yerevan are about 2700 kilometers long. And sewage pipes of Yerevan are about 1300 kilometers long. These were mainly made during the Soviet Union times. This means that it is a long time already that these pipes are out of the guarantee period and are not safe any more. Three years ago the authorized statistical bodies published unbelievable information: water losses in Yerevan were more than 65 percent. According to experts, the percentage of water illegally usage covers only 20-30%. The rest of the water is lost somewhere under the ground where tubes are rusted and too old to use. There is much loss of water especially in the center. The tubes in this territory are really a serious problem for water suppliers. Several years ago when there were no water measuring facilities it was supposed that each citizen used about 250 liters of water a day. After applying water measuring facilities it turned out that this number was overstated for about seven times than the real number. Water measuring facilities and high prices made people use less water. As a result of this there were a lot of cases of tube damage. “Jrmugh” (water supply) company had to make the water pressure in the tubes of center community go down. Otherwise there would be serious sanitary problems. “Jrmugh” and “Koyughi” (sewage) tubes were built close to each other during the Soviet period. And in case there are holes in these tubes this means that these tubes are connected to each other. Now the constructions that are going on in the center of Yerevan are done without taking into account these facts and without any serious architectural calculations. This is the opinion of “Yerevan Jrmugh-Koyughi” organization specialists. They say it is impossible to provide 24-hours water supply in these buildings. Even more, these buildings will make the situation for center community citizens more difficult. Now they mainly provide water supply for the center for four hours a day: two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. And Elite buildings with four-hour water supply a day will be really a strange innovation in modern construction and architecture.
I couldn’t find any specialist who could analyze the situation with water supply after the construction of these elite buildings. They hope that mainly Diaspora Armenians will buy these apartments and these buildings will mostly be free of people. Otherwise it will be impossible to organize sewage in these territories. Urbanization in the center of Yerevan will create really serious problems for substructures. And if the energetic system officials are already sure that they can meet the demand of electricity after the crisis in 90s, officials of “Jrmugh” don’t think so about their possibilities. “Jrmugh” will come face to face with serious technical problems. The management period for Italian “A-Utility” company has finished already, and currently it is not clear yet which company is going to be the next management of “Jrmugh”. But it is clear that the money that is necessary for water supply system reconstruction will not be invested (100 million dollars). And in this case the new symbol of Yerevan may be the monument of the guy that sells water on the view of new elite buildings. As for 24-hours water supply, this is already one of the false promises of the government.
P.S. The pipe lines that are used in Yerevan now were constructed during the ruling period of Russian king Nikolay II (15 litters / a minute). This is just for the reader’s information and has nothing to do with the article.