Downpours and floods expected in Armenia

The environmentalists warn of the risk of mudslides and floods in Armenia, that are expected to occur along with spring warming. Snow that accumulated in the river basins in large quantities during the winter months of 2016-2017 will start melting as a result of sharp rise in temperature. In addition, heavy rains are also expected in this period.

Karine Danielyan, the environmentalist and Chairperson of the Association ‘For Sustainable Development’, assumed that the flood threat could be minimal provided that there is no sudden warming.

Although, the danger is not that obvious now, but the snow that fell above the norm throughout the winter, has already created all the preconditions for floods. Therefore, the environmentalists urge to apply preventive measures without waiting for aggravation of the situation.

For reinforcement of the most vulnerable river sections and water drains, the government has initiated the flood prevention measures, in particular, on Yerevan-Goris-Meghri section, as well as on the Kapan water reservoir, and at Movrov water discharge outlets.

However, according to the environmentalists, those are not the wide-scale measures, but rather the local ones that cannot protect the country, in general, and the capital, in particular, from the natural disaster. Yerevan and other deforested cities of Armenia are most vulnerable from this point of view.