Water Pipe Threatens 150 Odzoun Pine Trees

WATER PIPE THREATENS 150 ODZOUN PINE TREES
Larisa Paremuzyan

hetq
11:44, June 12, 2012

The planned construction of a water pipe in the village of Odzoun
in Armenia’s northern Lori Marz might well kill more than 150 pine
trees towering alongside a 200 meter stretch of road.

Construction is set to begin in a few days by the utility, Armenia
Water and Sewer.

Tezek Aghvanyan, a village resident who’s a rural economist by
profession, told Hetq that plans to dig a trench down the road will
surely harm the trees since they have shallow roots.

Aghvanyan argues that the utility has other options as to where to
install the water pipe.

The pine trees were planted in 1948 by the Odzoun collective farm as
a barrier from mountain rains flooding the fields below.

Artour Kololyan, who heads the utility’s Alaverdi Branch, told Hetq
that the pipe was necessary to supply water to 15 homes along the
roadway.

Kololyan says he will personally inspect the installation of the pipe
to ensure that no trees are damaged in the process.

Aghvanyan says such assurances are not realistic.

“For this reason, residents of the village will not permit construction
of the pipeline to begin,” Aghvanyan warned.