FIRST STAGE OF PROGRAM ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT (GARBAGE
DISPOSAL) IN CITY OF IJEVAN COMPLETED
21-06-2008 20:00:00 | Armenia | Economy
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. During the first stage of
the program on solid waste management (garbage disposal) in the
city of Ijevan, a water-collecting station was build which will
be used for irrigation, street cleaning purposes, as well as by
fire services. Besides, a garbage truck worth 13.5 mln drams
(about 50 thousand USD) was purchased within the framework
of the program, Ijevan mayor Varuzhan Nersisian said at the June
20 press conference.
According to him, as a result of discussions with Ijevan
residents in 2002, the program on the most important problem of
the city - garbage disposal (through 2012) was developed and
implemented with the assistance of Ameria consulting company
(Armenia) and the Department for International Development (DFID
- the UK). The mayor said that the municipality will apply to
the British side with the request to help obtain a
vacuum-cleaning car.
It was mentioned that some other problems, including
management of Ijevan's dump, solid waste processing, cleaning of
the water-logged White Lake artificial reservoir shall be solved
under the program. Considerable investments are needed, whereas
the Armenian government and the city municipality do not have an
opportunity to make such investments.
The head of Ameria business advisory service Gagik Sahakian
said that their company in cooperation with Ijevan municipality
developed the technical and financial proposals of the indicated
program and sent them to the DFID. During the program's
implementation, various advisory services were provided: the
best international experience on garbage disposal was examined,
based on which a program was prepared, and its investment
component enabled to achieve some of the results envisaged by
the advisory services. A survey was condicted among Ijevan
residents in order to determine the local population's
approaches to the problem of garbage disposal and the optimal
version of garbage disposal tariffs, so that the municipality
will have enough funds for garbage disposal at the expense of
garbage payment collection. G. Sahakian said that due to social
conditions, Ijevan residents cannot pay the indicted tariff that
would allow to completely solve the problem. But the difference
between the tariff and the sum the population can afford to pay
was determined. According to Ameria's representative, this
difference is now paid partly with state budgetary and grant
resources.
Prior to implementation of the program on solid waste
management (garbage disposal) in Ijevan, 25-30% of 35-40 cubic
meters of daily street garbage was removed from the regional
center of Tavush marz.