POLLUTION REMAINS MAJOR PROBLEM

POLLUTION REMAINS MAJOR PROBLEM
YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, ARMENPRESS: Before 1992 the main point sources of air pollution in Armenia had been associated with energy sector (35%), non-ferrous production (19%), industrial construction materials (10%) and chemicals production (9%). The total volume of emissions from these sources accounted for 255 thousand tons yearly. The vehicle emissions exceeded 489 thousand tons yearly or 65% of total emissions volume.
Currently, alongside with economic improvement in Armenia many industrial enterprises are being recovered, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant has been reopened. The preventive measures aimed at decreasing of air pollution in the country are not effective. The general situation is further deteriorated by physical location of mostly polluted cities of Armenia Yerevan , Ararat, Vanadzor and Hrazdan. All these cities are placed in valleys, between mountain ranges, where calm weather and temperature inversions tend to collect and hold emissions in place, thereby increasing concentrations to which the population is exposed.
In 1996, the total air emissions from point sources in Armenia were some 8,976 thousand tons / year, while vehicle emissions accounted for 158,279 thousand tons / year. The official estimates of vehicle emissions are based on the annual mileage data.
The transport system, which includes 800 km of railway and 13,000 km of roads remains one of the main sources of air pollution emitting the biggest portion, 53,382 tons of nitrogen and carbon oxide, 94% of air pollution, while in 1987 they made only 65 percent.
The River Hrazdan, running across the Armenian capital, continues to be polluted by chiefly sewage waste waters, the 70% of which fall into it without being purified.
The two tributaries, the Rivers of Vokhchi and Getar bring to the Hrazdan river the consumer wastes. The only purifying station in Yerevan which operates to only 50% of its capacities, purifies daily about 30% of an overall 1 million cubic meters of waste water, as the Yerevan Sewage company fails to collect fee for sold water to provide maintenance work of the sewage system.
The construction of a second sewage purifying station will require some $200 million.
The number of gas stations has increased tens times since 1996, reaching a total of 400, the majority of them have been constructed nearby residential areas and with violation of environmental safety requirements.

A few years ago, National Geographic did an article on pollution in the former USSR. It was absolutely horrifying.