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.

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