InternationalMCC focused on Arzni-Shamiram waterway
Published: Friday February 06, 2009
MCA-Armenia CEO Ara Hovsepian, r., and Gevorg Gevorgian of the French contractor Sade. Armen Hakobyan for the Armenian Reporter
Yerevan - For thousands of years people in Armenia have blessed those who offer them water by saying, "May your life be as eternal as water." Armen Ayvazian, who is a 37-year-old laborer and who participated in the renovation of the main Arzni-Shamiram canal, hopes that the supply of irrigation water will improve as a result of their labor and farmers will bless the work of the constructors and organizers.
Armen is from Sasunik village, which is adjacent to Ashtarak. Even though he currently works quite far from his home in the small city of Yeghvard, he says that he is satisfied with the working conditions and payment. He is one of 20 workers of the French Sade company who, since mid-January, have been implementing the rehabilitation of the problematic sections of the 4.2-kilometer-long Arzni-Shamiram main irrigation canal funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
On January 29 the Armenian Reporter had the opportunity to become acquainted with the renovation work together with Ara Hovsepian, the chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Account Armenia and members of the team working on the irrigation project. The 4.2-kilometer-long section of the Arzni-Shamiram canal is included in the first phase of the project for the renovation of six main canals. The contractors of the renovation work are the French Sade and Armenian SHMSH-23 companies, with which MCA-Armenia signed a contract on December 2008.
Gevorg Gevorgian, a representative of the Sade company and the assistant to the project told the Armenian Reporter: "This is a big project for our company and we have taken on these works with great responsibility. We are currently cleaning the walls of the aqueduct, the sides, and the bottom. All together there are 17 sections that have been included in the first phase of this year's works."
Haroutun Sarkissian, an engineer with Sade adds that dismantling works are being carried out at the damaged sections of the canal. "After cleaning the bottom and removing the waste, we will start the concrete work. We are going to try to finish 1.7 kilometers and put it into operation by the beginning of the irrigation season. We will start working on the remaining section this autumn and we will continue working until spring 2010."
Tigran Kalantarian, head of Millennium Challenge Account Armenia's Irrigated Agriculture Project (IAP) notes that the most damaged sections of the canals have been included in the first phase of the renovation works of the six main canals. Parallel to this, the emphasis of the works being carried out is on the restoration of those sections of canals where there are 30 percent losses of water. The overall length of the Arzni-Shamiram canal is 82 kilometers and in Mr. Kalantarian's words, the renovation and restoration of the sections totaling 4.2 kilometers in length will increase the effectiveness of the supply of irrigation water at the end of the canal and allow the expansion of irrigation lands. The Arzni-Shamiram system irrigates around 25,000 hectares of land at the foothills of Mount Aragats. The six main water canals that MCC is renovating will cost $5.7 million, of which $3.65 million is earmarked for the Arzni-Shahmiram canal.
