In some communities of Armenia orchards are irrigated with sewage water, environmentalist Knarik Hovhannisyan said at a press conference on June 18.
She pointed out Masis community (Ararat province), where the local residents have to do that due to the shortage of irrigation water. Hovhannisyan also mentioned the activities of the fish farms, which drain water from the ponds into the rivers without cleaning it. It is no secret that antibiotic substances are added to the fish food of the large farms and these substances can eventually penetrate into the crops.
For her part, Karine Danielyan, Head of the Association for Sustainable Human Development, noted that the use of sewage water for irrigation endangers human health as it can spread intestinal infections.
The experts also stressed the need to pay attention to the up-to-date irrigation systems, which register big water losses.