Today, Prime Minister Hakob Simidyan accepted the portfolio of refinancing loans from KfW Bank’s (KfW) director, Barbara Palmein, the bank’s chief consultant Michael Pucher, and the representative of the bank in Armenia, Zara Chatinyan. The discussion focused on the construction of the Kaps reservoir in the Shirak region and its environmental consequences, according to official information from the Shirak regional administration.

Prime Minister Hakob Simidyan discussed the current issues related to the effective management of the water sector with the partners, including the programs implemented by the government to solve these problems.

In April 2023, the loan agreement of the Armenian-German joint venture for the improvement of the irrigation system of Sevan and Aghuryan was signed. The total budget of the program is 97.8 million euros, with KfW Bank granting 68.5 million euros in loans and the remaining amount provided by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

As a result of the program’s implementation, the water quality of Lake Sevan and the Aghuryan River, as well as the adjacent 17,000 hectares of irrigated land, will significantly improve. It will also be possible to replace the mechanical irrigation of 2,280 hectares with an automated irrigation system, resulting in annual energy savings of 1.3 million kWh.

The Prime Minister emphasized the need for environmental sustainability in the water sector and eco-friendly systems during discussions on the progress of the irrigation project.

The issue of cleaning filters in fish farms in Armenia was also discussed during the meeting. The Prime Minister presented the steps taken in cooperation with international partners.

Simidyan first visited the cleaning context of the Sevan Peninsula at the request of the meeting participants. The German international cooperation company plans to implement the EU4Sevan program, which will involve the construction of a newer and more effective facility for the mechanical cleaning of the already cleaned fish farms.

The discussion took place in the central office of the Shirak regional administration with enhanced security measures in place.

At the conclusion of the meeting, an agreement was reached to continue cooperation and carry out further discussions on improving the situation and implementing effective programs.

Source: News from Armenia – NEWS.am