Big HPPs on Caucasian rivers need transboundary rivers impact assessment

• Friday, August 3, 17:50

"When building big hydraulic structures on the rivers in the Caucasus, assessment of possible impact on the Transboundary Rivers is required as well as Strategic Environmental.  Assessment.  Nino Chkhobadze, former minister of environment of Georgia, Co-chair of the NGO Greens Movement of Georgia - Friends of the Planet, made such statement talking to ArmInfo.

She said that Transboundary Rivers in the Caucasus are used for irrigation purposes, so water deficiency or avulsion may affect the irrigation system.  All this, she said, will have a negative impact on the agriculture, industry and economy, in general. Chkhobadze brought the example of the project of the Cascade of hydropower plants Beshikaya in Turkey that implies avulsion of the head waters of the River of Kura.  Under the project, the riverhead will start in the territory of Georgia and not Turkey. Consequently,  if the project is implemented, water deficiency in the Kura River basin will make up 30-%-40%, which will create serious environmental problems for the basins of Kura and Aras rivers.

Environmentalists in Armenia are alarming that construction of small HPPs may endanger the fish fauna and the nearby forests. Environmentalists outline the project of HPP on the tributary Paghjour of the Agstev River that may affect Lastiver Waterfall, as well as two small HPPs on the River of Meghri, which resulted in change of the ground category near the National park Arevik. Residents of Gegharkunik region are alarming that construction of a new HPP on the River of Argichi will leave the Martuni community without water. Activists are concerned that the river may shrink affecting reproduction of the trout and other fish included in the Red Book.