Friday, 6 November 2015
PM Inspects Arpa-Sevan Tunnel Reconstruction Work
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan visited the reconstruction site of Arpa-Sevan tunnel, where he inspected the ongoing capital repairs.
Supported by the Development Fund of Abu Dhabi and co-financed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia, a program for the overhaul of damaged sections is being implemented in 2010-2017. The aim of the program is to provide for water supply stability and safety all along the aqueduct. The contractor is Arpa-Sevan OJSC, with a contract cost of AMD 11.798.546.320 and a balance of AMD 1.183.000.000 as of today.
The Prime Minister toured the site getting acquainted with the ongoing activities and the technical condition of the facility. General Director of Arpa-Sevan OJSC Paruyr Hakobyan reported to the Prime Minister that the tunnel’s damaged sections had been refurbished and upgraded during the reconstruction work underway since 2010. The bulk of the projected work was said complete, with about a year remaining until the end of the program. Hovik Abrahamyan was shown the badly damaged sections where collapses had been especially frequent over the past 5-6 years and which needed upgrading.
In turn, State Water Management Committee Chairman Aram Harutyunyan noted that the purpose of the reconstruction is to increase the tunnel’s overall capacity and productivity in order to redouble the amount of water conveyed toward Lake Sevan.
Capacity is expected to increase from 13.5 cubic meters to 20 cubic meters per second, which will increase the yearly amount of water being transferred to Sevan up to 270 million cubic meters.
After the inspection, Hovik Abrahamyan gave appropriate instructions to the agencies responsible and the executives of Arpa-Sevan OJSC. Note that Arpa-Sevan tunnel was built in 1963-1981 to convey water from Arpa and Yeghegis rivers to Sevan. The total length of the tunnel is 48.3 km. Repairs are intended to restore the deformation of the tunnel or its individual parts.
