There is a risk of an epidemic in the disaster zone. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of RA Gnel Sanosyan said in a briefing with journalists in the parliament.
“The concern is that, firstly, there is quite a large amount of sludge, in which there may be various harmful substances, on the other hand, there are dead animals: chickens, pigs, some of whose bodies have been found, and some have not. For this reason, our partners in the healthcare sector are working on one hand, and on the other hand, they are urging us to be careful. Also, some search work continues along the banks of the river. If these bodies are found, cemeteries for livestock have been set aside in appropriate places so that the disease does not spread,” said Gnel Sanosyan.
The minister said that it is not yet possible to generalize the amount of damage in the disaster area, a commission has been created and assessments are being made. “I will give one example: now we have high-rise buildings, the first floors of which are filled with water and mud. The colleagues of the Urban Development Committee are conducting a preliminary study, but it will take a lot of time to understand to what degree the buildings are damaged, whether they are damaged or not, what level of emergency they are, whether they are habitable or not. In that case, the picture will change completely. We are working, we are carrying out certain assessments, maybe after some time we will be able to talk, but, unfortunately, there will be quite large numbers,” he said.
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According to the minister, the city of Alaverdi and the settlement of Qarkop were especially affected.
Roza HOVHANNISYAN
