Large volumes of water are being lost in Yerevan because of ageing infrastructure, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan said during a government question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.

Hayk Farmanyan, an MP from the Strong Armenia faction, asked the deputy prime minister for an update on a promised pipeline from settlements near Hrazdan to Yerevan. The opposition MP said the chairman of the Water Committee had promised him four years earlier that such a pipeline would be built.

“The problem cannot be solved simply by bringing additional water to Yerevan. We have a deeper problem, which the Government has been working on daily with Veolia Djur for three years. It concerns reducing losses. Yerevan has a sufficiently large water supply, but losses are high because the infrastructure is worn out. The infrastructure is worn out because, back in 2016, when the water supply system was handed over to Veolia Djur, the mechanisms for investment were not clearly provided for.

“The annual investment of AMD 3.5–4 billion is insufficient to bring the infrastructure into proper condition. We are doing everything we can to ensure that at least the most urgent investments are made.

“We have available water resources in Hrazdan. We plan to invest in two phases. The first phase will bring an additional 10 million cubic metres of water to Yerevan. Continued investment will secure a further 20 million cubic metres. This work will begin in 2027,” Khachatryan said.