Akhuryan Basin - Environmental Protection of International River

ARMENIA
Akhuryan Basin Management Area
KEY WATER ISSUES
The project is funded
by the European Union
This project is implemented by a consortium
led by Hulla & Co. Human Dynamics KG
EPIRB
Environmental Protection of International River Basins
The Environmental Protection
of International River Basins
(EPIRB) project aims to
improve the quality of water in
transboundary river basins in
the wider Black Sea region and
Belarus, including Armenia.
One of the specific objectives
is to improve technical
capacities by developing river
basin management plans
(RBMPs) in selected pilot river
basins, according to the
requirements of the EU Water
Framework Directive (WFD).
One of the selected pilot
basins is the Akhuryan basin
management area, which
includes the Akhuryan River
basin, located in the western
part of the Republic of
Armenia, and the Metsamor
River basin, which is adjacent
to the Akhuryan River basin.
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The Water Framework Directive
and river basin management plans
One of the requirements of the WFD is the achievement and
preservation of good water status by managing waters in natural
units — that is, in river basins.
Good water status
is achieved when pollution is
controlled and there is
sufficient flow for ecosystems
to function and survive.
River basin planning follows a structured approach: finding out
facts, deciding on necessary actions, making a management plan,
and putting the plan into practice. An important first step is to
identify significant water management issues so that appropriate
solutions and measures can be developed.
The impacts of human activities
Human activities can lead to serious problems in terms of both
water quality and quantity. The most common water-related
problems are pollution and the effects of physical modifications
to rivers and lakes.
Water pollution can arise from two types of sources: point
sources, such as discharges from industrial facilities and
wastewater treatment plants; and diffuse sources, such as landuse activities, including agriculture.
Hydromorphological alterations include the physical modification
of waterways, such as engineered modifications to the natural
structure or flow of rivers in order to make particular use of them.
Such modifications might include land drainage, the construction
of flood defences, or the damming of rivers to provide storage for
power generation.
Another potential problem is excessive water abstraction, which
can reduce river flow and even cause rivers and lakes to dry up.
A river basin
is the land
that water flows across or
under on its way to a river. The
basin sends all the water that
falls within it to a central river
or estuary.
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AKHURYAN BASIN
MANAGEMENT AREA – Profile
TOTAL AREA
5,021.19 km2
LOCATION
The Akhuryan River basin in western
Armenia, bordered by the Metsamor
River basin.
Russian
Federation
Akhuryan - Metsamor Pilot Basin
Black Sea
Larger Akhuryan - Kars Basin
Georgia
CHARACTERISTICS
30 rare species of mammal and
200 species of birds. Notable species
include waterfowl, panthers,
Armenian moufflon, Bezoar goats,
and the endangered species
Darevsky’s viper.
WATER USE
Water abstraction, as of January
2014, according to water use permits:
irrigation 73.7%; hydropower 18.9%;
household drinking water supply
3.3%; fisheries 2.7%; industries 1.4%.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ample water reserves and good
climatic conditions allow agriculture
and cattle breeding to be key
components of the regional economy.
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Turkey
Armenia
Iran
Azerbaijan
The Akhuryan basin management
area — Water challenges
POLLUTION FROM WASTEWATER
AND INDUSTRIAL DISCHARGES
What’s causing the problem?
Communal wastewater collection is not carried out appropriately,
allowing organic and inorganic pollutants to enter the rivers.
Wastewater from the food industry enters the rivers through
the sewerage system, posing a significant threat to water
quality. Water draining from the iron and molybdenum ore
deposits in the Ashotsk region, along with the extraction and
processing of construction materials, are further significant
point sources of pollution.
Water pollution
is the contamination of
surface waters and
groundwater with harmful
substances, causing a
degradation in water quality.
How does it affect water status?
The introduction of untreated wastewater causes a rise in the
level of phosphorus, nitrogen and organic compounds. The
quality of the Akhuryan River downstream from Gyumri and
the Karkachun River, and the quality of the Metsamor River
below the towns of Armavir, Talin and Metsamor, are
particularly threatened.
Industrial activities result in high concentrations of hazardous
substances such as arsenic, titanium, nickel, chrome and
molybdenum in waters in the pilot basins.
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POLLUTION FROM AGRICULTURE
AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION
What’s causing the problem?
Agriculture is one of the leading branches of the economy in the
Akhuryan basin and mainly comprises crop production and
livestock rearing. Cattle and sheep farming are traditional activities
and pastures occupy 55 percent of the river basin. Over the past
10 years there has been an increase in the number of livestock.
Manure from farms is washed into surface waters and infiltrates
groundwater resources, posing a significant threat to its quality.
How does it affect water status?
Pollution from cattle breeding leads to increased concentrations
of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic compounds, particularly in
the Akhuryan and Karkachun Rivers and in the Metsamor River
basin. This rise in nutrients causes a rapid growth in algae, known
as algal bloom, which affects water quality and biological oxygen
demand, also endangering the quality of groundwater.
Manure
can be a valuable
resource rather than just a
waste product, but it must be
managed appropriately to
protect surface waters and
groundwater.
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The explosive growth of algae and plants changes the composition
and condition of freshwater in a process known as eutrophication.
Oxygen is used up as the dead algae decompose, reducing the
amount of dissolved oxygen in the water and altering the survival,
reproductive and competitive capacities of water organisms. Algal
bloom can be harmful to fish and other aquatic animals, as it
creates toxins. Even non-toxic algal blooms can affect aquatic life by
blocking out sunlight and creating areas with little or no oxygen.
HYDROMORPHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS
AND WATER ABSTRACTION
What’s causing the problem?
In the lower section of the Akhuryan River, below Lake Arpi, about
11 km of the river (from the settlement of Berdashen to Pokr
Sepasar) is diverted through an earthen canal. There are currently
eight small hydropower plants (HPPs) operating in the Akhuryan
River basin, and three more are under construction.
In the lower reaches of the Metsamor River basin, particularly
in Armavir province, fish farming has increased significantly in
recent years.
Hydromorphology
combines study of the
hydrological regime and of
morphological conditions. It
deals with the quantity and
dynamics of water flow, as well
as the shape and boundaries of
a particular water body.
How does it affect water status?
The diversion of the Akhuryan River through the canal has
altered the natural flow of the river. Although small, the HPPs
put significant pressure on water resources, as the river’s
ecological flow cannot be maintained in some sections. The
ecological flow is the flow necessary to sustain ecosystem
functions. Where HPPs have been constructed, the ecological
flow must reach a certain percentage of the annual mean daily
discharge in order to ensure the preservation of the river’s
ecosystems.
Water abstraction for fishery purposes also puts significant
pressure on groundwater resources in the southeastern
part of the Metsamor River basin, as well as on the flow of
the Metsamor River.
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This publication summarises a review of
the pressures and impacts on water bodies
in the Akhuryan basin management area,
prepared in the framework of the EPIRB
project. The full pressure-impact analysis
report is available at http://blackseariverbasins.net/en/pilot-basins/akhuryanbasin-akhuryan-and-metsamor.
EPIRB Project Regional Office in Kyiv
Kyiv 01601, Ukraine
Velyka Vasylkivska (former Chervonoarmiiska)
Street 13/1, room 502
Tel.: +380 50 330 99 48
EPIRB Project Regional Office in Tbilisi
Tbilisi 0102, Georgia
5 Marjanishvili Street, office 402
Tel.: +995 32 236 8877
Editors: Imola Koszta ● Jovanka Ignjatovic
Contributors: Vahagn Tonoyan
Design and layout: Tricia Barna
Copyediting and proofreading: Rachel Hideg
Photographs: EPIRB partners ● iStock
Vahagn Tonoyan
Publisher: The Regional Environmental Center
for Central and Eastern Europe
www.blacksea-riverbasins.net
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Legal notice: This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of
the Human Dynamics Consortium implementing the project and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
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