As a result of large-scale construction, the level of air pollution in the capital has increased significantly. There is a provision in the pre-election program of the “Bright Armenia” party for the Yerevan Council of Elders elections; “To reduce the level of dust, we propose to establish a new standard for construction, demarcation of the construction site using a fiber protective net. Each construction must be completely covered with protective netting, and its absence will be considered a gross violation of construction norms.
Meanwhile, Tigran Avinyan, the candidate for mayor of Yerevan of the “Civil Contract” party, claimed earlier. “From September 1, you will already see dust protection nets at various developers. The decision of the Council of Elders made the imposition of these networks. And the control authority has been given to our urban planning and land control department, which will have control devices installed by the developer. Through these devices, we will see the dust level during construction online.” Avinyan says some developers are already fined because they did not implement the municipality’s request.
We asked Davit Khazhakyan, the leader of the election list of the “Bright Armenia” party, the mayoral candidate, the head of the “Luys” faction of the Yerevan Council of Elders, who was hosted on the “Aravot” program “Areresum” (“Confrontation”), whether he is aware that what he proposed in the program, according to Yerevan Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinyan, is already being implemented.
“The first week of September has passed; one more thing,” replied Mr. Khazhakyan, asking whether we have seen constructions in the city covered with a protective layer during this time. “There is nothing like that.” Other norms were changed, and some norms were tightened by the decision of the Council of Elders back in May. But that norm was not included in that period and is not had now.”
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The other guest of the program, Tigran Khzmalyan, who heads the pre-election list of the European Party of Armenia in the Yerevan Council of Elders elections, added: “I see a bitter irony in all this because I cannot take seriously a structure that with one hand (or the same hand) allows 30-40 meter excavations in the center of Yerevan (and not only in the center), they are born like mushrooms from the rain after. But with the other hand (or the same hand) on the same table, they try to control it. That is hypocrisy. It is cognitive dissonance. If you need help understanding where the dust you’re fighting comes from… In other words, they create dust and start fighting against it. Yerevan was called the “dust capital” in the 20s. Tamanyan specifically dealt with that problem and solved it by greening the hills of Nork and Kanaker. And what did we do?
According to Tigran Khzmalyan, Yerevan has become the “dust capital” again. “We take the shameful 22nd place in terms of air pollution, after the cities of India and China, Bangladesh and Malaysia. It is Yerevan. And it’s just a story of 3-4 years.”
Anna ISRAYELYAN
