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Notes From Hairenik
August 28, 2007
Cosmic rays and stellar dynamics
Last Sunday I had the rare opportunity to visit the Cosmic Ray Division of the Alikhanyan Yerevan Physics Institute and the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory on Sunday with a group comprised mostly of my fellow employees. It was a fascinating day to say the least.

The Cosmic Ray Division's undertakings are performed in a campus of about a dozen or so buildings near the top of Mt. Aragats, the tallest mountain in Armenia. Adjacent to the campus is the lake, which is undoubtedly higher than Lake Sevan in terms of altitude but is more the size of a large pond, which incidentally contains "sig" fish. There is a network of tunnels connecting most buildings allowing the technicians to walk between them during the most brutal of conditions there--the site is covered with snow for nearly 10 months of the year. As soon as I started walking around the place I remembered Joe Dagdigian of the Lowell, Massachusetts area who often seeks the support of Armenian community members to keep the campus functioning.

Basically the Cosmic Ray Division is concerned with primarily two things--measuring particles that enter the earth's atmosphere from outer space and studying the charge they have. It is one of only five such institutes that do the same kind of research in the world. The institute also studies weather patterns. According to the "What's On In Physics Web" site, the institute recently won the UN's World Summit on Information Society Award. We were given a tour over most of the complex, where we were able to see a few currently running projects as well as one massive undertaking that was to employ a 3,000 tonne magnet in an underground bunker of sorts, but was never realized due to the break up of the Soviet Union. Aside from government funding, which I can just imagine is fairly meager, the institute relies on foreign assistance, from the Japanese for instance.

At Byurakan, located about 1,000 meters or so from the base of Mt. Aragats, there are five telescopes in all, the largest being a massive 2.6 m cassegrain reflector. The site was under the direction of Viktor Hambardzumyan,--who was one of the greatest astrophysicists of the Soviet Union--since it was founded in 1946. I was able to enter the building which contained that telescope, but unfortunately we could not see it in action as it was too early to view any stellar objects. But by the time we reached one of the smaller telescopes, the stars and planets--namely Jupiter--were waiting for us to gaze upon them. That telescope had about four different viewfinders, one of which gave a direct magnified view of the object that was focused upon while the others displayed alternate views presented through reflecting mirrors. Incidentally, the observatory campus is a great park full of orchards and rare trees not indigenous to Armenia. Simply strolling around there was a pleasure.

You can visit the Byurakan Observatory's Web site here.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 8:47 PM.
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Vienna and Timisoara
I took a break from the Hairenik a week ago to go on a business trip for a few days. My destination was Timisoara, Romania, which is located in the county of Timis, and formerly Transylvania. As anyone with a mild to intense attraction for horror knows that Transylvania is home to Count Dracula. Despite many requests for bones or teeth belonging to the king of all vampires, the only souvenir I could find was a plastic keychain with a raised visage of the real Dracula, sporting a fabulous moustache, who was known for impaling his enemies rather than sucking their blood.

I had about seven hours to kill before my flight left Vienna for Timisoara, so I decided to take a commuter train into the city. I wanted to get off at the St. Stephens’ station but I lost track of the stops and ended up getting off at the next station. It seems that I went a few kilometers too far because I could not find my location on a vague, seemingly inaccurate map I found on the back page of some free magazine printed especially for tourists that featured Gerard Depardieu on the front cover for some reason. I made a mad dash to the nearest café to use the toilet for 50 euro cents, then started wandering around hoping to find a road on the map in the vicinity where I thought I was. Lucky me, none of the street names appeared on the map. So I strolled with a six pound laptop crammed in its case slung across my shoulder in what seemed to be a residential area of the city, but located somewhere northwest of the ring surrounding the center. Nearly 90 minutes later, while periodically squinting to read the street names on the map, a futile effort, I wandered upon a subway station that according to the map would lead me to the right train I needed to get back to familiar surroundings. I visited Vienna about six years ago last and I remembered where all the action was. About 20 minutes later I was at St. Stephens’ Square (Stepansplatz), which is loaded with real cafés—not the silly places found around the Opera House in Yerevan—as well as wall-to-wall shops. The area is a tourist trap because of the cathedral, which is perhaps the most beautiful one I have ever seen anywhere. I roamed around some more, stopped to have a Café Latte and a croissant along the way, snapped a couple of photos of the cathedral, and was off to the airport on the express train. Unfortunately I found it impossible to frame the entire cathedral in a single shot since it is surrounded by buildings and thus preventing a wide shot to be taken, so instead I focused on the spires, as probably everyone does in the same situation.

Timisoara (which is supposed to be spelled with "ş" in place of the "s" and pronounced "sh") has a near 1,000 history in various incarnations and nomenclatures. It is a city of just under 340,000 people located near the Hungarian border, and shares the Baroque architecture that can be found throughout Vienna. I didn’t really get a chance to see the city until my last night there, when I strolled down the ancient narrow streets that lead into expansive squares flanked by massive churches and royal buildings. I found the people there to be very friendly and polite, which was a far cry from those in Yerevan, especially employees in shops who always seem to serve me with a tired, disgusted visage, straining to do me a favor like take my money. Romania on the other hand, having worked tremendously hard to get its act together in time to join the European Union in January of this year, puts professionalism before attitude. Generally people seemed more laid back and civilized to me in public spaces than in Yerevan, where much shouting and yelling out “hey brother” is predominant in communication. There is virtually nothing to indicate that the country was once communist behind the iron curtain. On the contrary, compared to Armenia it seems extremely advanced in terms of its infrastructure, attention to order, and peoples’ respect for others. The country I am sure has its own share of problems, but I am writing this from an observer’s perspective, naturally.

It is always fantastic to visit Europe because I am always amazed by the architecture, historical monuments, and culture which is abundant in every city I have visited, Vienna and Timisoara in no way being exceptions. When I first visited Yerevan in 2000, that European charm was evident in the city, especially in its old neighborhoods and their winding streets. But most of that charm evaporated with the obliteration of historic buildings to make way for reinforced cement monstrosities constructed by business tycoons bent on destroying the past. And it only amounted to just about 100 years of history at the most, since Yerevan has been built and destroyed so many times over the last 2,000 years or so. So for me at least visiting Europe even for only a few hours during a single visit is always a special treat for me, because I cannot scorn being surrounded by history and deep-rooted culture. Armenia is wonderful, but there is nothing like Europe. It’s just a fantastic place.

I hope to post some photos whenever I get the film developed.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 1:17 AM.
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August 17, 2007
Mashala Mastara

I have finally gotten around to posting some photos that I took a few weeks ago when I went to Mastara, located in the Shirak region not very far from Gyumri. Mastara is a monastery that is off the beaten tourist path--it's not part of the common tour trips that are offered here for some reason. It's strange because the architecture is quite unique, unlike that of any other Armenian church I have seen.




According to an informational plague nailed to the exterior church wall presented by the Armenian Library and Museum of America:
Dedicated to St. Hovhannes (St. John), this seventh-century church is an impressive sight in the midst of the village of Mastara, towering above its surroundings. Several inscriptions carved on its walls indicate that it was erected by the Monk grigoras in the the seventh century since, fortunately, one inscription mentions Bishop Theodore of the notable Armenian feudal family named Gnuni who ruled at that time. In addition, the architectural details of Mastara, as it is known, resemble seventh-century construction. At the same time, an interesting inscription on the south wall written in Greek, and the large foundation walls similar to those of earlier Armenian churches are clues that this church probably replaced a larger church built here in the fifth century.

...

Its unusual design is echoed in other seventh-century churches which are referred to as belonging to the "Mastara type." Three hundred years later, the tenth-century church of the Holy Apostles at Kars, now in Turkey, was erected by King Smbat using the same design.








Also nearby is what is considered to the the largest freestanding khachkar (stone cross) in Armenia, if not the known universe--a fantastic piece of craftsmanship. Mastara is definitely worth the one-hour trip north.


Photos copyright Christian Garbis 2007

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 2:39 AM.
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August 16, 2007
Fed up with politics

The more I read the news and hear people talk about politics in this country, the more disappointed, even bored, I become. It seems that everything that is predicted in this country is deemed by the masses to become reality.

For instance, Prime Minister Serge Sarkisyan has already been determined to win the presidential elections, six months before they are to be held, even though I don’t remember him officially declaring that he would run.

During the last couple of weeks, however, the press has been predicting a comeback of former president Levon Ter-Petrossian, who already has much opposition backing from organizations like Impeachment and even Aram Sargsyan’s Republic Party. Impeachment’s sole goal is to topple the current leadership while subtly seeking Ter-Petrossian’s return to office. Aram Sargsyan’s brother, Prime Minister Vasken Sargsyan, repeatedly clashed with Ter-Petrossian while he was in power, so why Aram would unite with the former president is beyond me. He himself clashed with President Robert Kocharian and was dismissed after a year from his post as Prime Minister, having replaced his brother after his assassination in parliament in 1999. But really, why throw your weight towards Ter-Petrossian, who is infamously known for secretly selling electricity to Georgia while millions of Armenians suffered as a result during the brutal energy crisis in the early 1990s? (That is based on a news article I read several years ago which I cannot seem to find for some reason.) You would think people are still pissed at him and rightfully so, but some are eagerly anticipating his comeback. He is already going out to the regions to meet with various communities, mostly Pan-Armenian Movement supporters.

We can’t depend on the opposition because they cannot or rather will not unite around a single candidate, a huge, disappointing mistake. Charismatic figures like Orinats Yerkir’s Arthur Baghdasarian and Heritage party founder Raffi Hovannisian have bunted egos apparently and they cannot merge their aspirations to find some sort of power-sharing compromise (i.e., you be president and I’ll agree to be prime minister). Both parties have much to offer in my opinion but their efforts are mired by selfishness and over ambition. I was told the other night that two significant members of Orinats Yerkir who I met and who were accumulating reports of suspicious activities throughout the day of the parliamentary elections left the party—one was upset he was not given a seat in the National Assembly and the other went off to Japan to earn some sort of scholarly degree. MIAK leader Levon Martirosian has decided to become Prime Minister Sarkisian’s lapdog, serving in a secretarial capacity. I was fairly impressed with MIAK, which is comprised mainly of young professionals with Western training, and their goals, but now that their leader has essentially sold out I’ll have to say that I can no longer see them as being able to make any kind of difference in the future, so long as they forge allegiances with the powers that be, the same ones they are supposedly opposed to.

ARF-Dashnaktsutiun has surrounded itself with controversy lately that it doesn’t know or simply care about since the party doesn’t talk about it. There are suspicions printed in online media outlets, including this blog, that party member Vahan Hovannisian was persuaded somehow to not be completely honest with the Armenian people when failing to reveal important information tied to alleged corruption-related activities regarding the Yerevan waterworks overhaul project. And I don’t believe that the party will be able to live up to most or all of their campaign promises since Prime Minister Sarkisyan effectively rejected one of them in the weeks leading up to the parliamentary elections, and now that the party has aligned itself with him to essentially keep their seats of power they might do almost anything to please him, including renege on the values they promote if necessary. Besides that, the party promises to field its own presidential candidate, which would probably be a mistake since virtually all of its leaders lack charisma. The only person who speaks publicly and simultaneously has something important to say is ARF-D Supreme Body member Armen Rustamyan, but I don’t think he is necessarily qualified for the job, although I have much respect for him and I would like to see him play a more active role in Armenian politics somehow.

I could care less about the other parties I didn’t mention, for instance Prosperous Armenia since they really have nothing to say or do except hand out sacks of flour or potatoes.

So it’s basically time to sit back and relax until people go to the polls next winter and expectedly vote for Serge Sarkisyan, even if they do not necessarily want to. Probably the main excuse to cast a ballot in his favor will be that there is no other candidate worthy enough to vote for. There is an underlying fear of the man for some reason, and many will probably be intimidated (or bribed) to vote for him I imagine. I can’t stress enough that democracy should take its course and not be dependant on speculation in this country, but it is clear that rumor and forecast are the way things are determined here. People are already becoming convinced that he will win so they may vote for him anyway, already having been brainwashed. Nevertheless, I do hope that the presidential race will end up being rather exciting.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 5:22 PM.
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August 11, 2007
Five years
This entry was written exactly five years ago for a column of the same name as this blog which appeared in The Armenian Weekly. The adventure described marks the beginning of a downward spiral I would descend which eventually forced me to return to the United States in December 2002. For personal reasons it was not until September 2004 that I returned to Armenia. It is one of a few columns written during that time that I plan to recycle and print on this blog.

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The persistent Yerevan summer heat is stifling and incapacitating. It induces strange effects on the mind and body, slowly braising the mind in its own juices and reducing the body and spirit to a lethargic, unmotivated state of stagnancy.

During the last four weeks I have had trouble focusing on the work and goals that I had originally set out to fulfill here. Each time I remind myself of why I’m here, I seem to forget again only moments later. My mind and spirit are overheated. Even as I write this column I’m having trouble sifting through my thoughts and deciding what to convey. It seems that the only remedy is to keep cool at all costs, breath slowly and deeply, and drink plenty of liquids.

On Sunday morning, while my body and mind were simmering, I decided to venture out of my apartment located in central Yerevan and explore other areas, without a clear plan of action.

I walked down to the corner of Tigran Mets and Agatangeghosi streets across from “Kino Rasia” or Cinema Russia, which is a building that has been converted to a giant clothing and home domestics market. I began to study some of the minibus routes by reading the stops written on the route signs and, naturally, my braised brain could not decide what minibus to get on, or even if I should get on one.

Along the streets of Yerevan vendors sell whatever they can to earn a living -- fruity drinks, sunflower seeds, fried dough-like pastries, cigarettes, newspapers, and so forth. One gentleman had parked a large, wooden barrel filled with a cool drink called “gvas,” which is sort of a mock-beer made from dark bread. I drank down a cup of the sweet-tasting stuff and then ran after a near-empty minibus as it pulled up along the curb to pick up some passengers and climbed into the front seat. The Route 54 minibus drove through the southern industrial part of the city known simply as the Factories quarter, where dozens of factories are located, both functioning and shut down, congested in one location and surrounded by all types of high- and low-rise residence buildings. The minibus ended its route in an area called Charbakh, not far from Karekin Njdeh Square. I asked the driver how I should continue, and his braised brain deduced that I should hop on a Route 39 minibus that travels to the northwest parts of the city, going in the opposite direction from where I was.

The minibus traveled along Karekin Njdeh street, continued on Arshaguniants street, then turned left on Gregory the Illuminator Street and ascended the high, northern parts of Yerevan via Proshyan Street, otherwise known as Kebab Street because of the hundreds of barbeque vendors and restaurants that line both sides. We passed through “Paregamutiun” Square and proceeded north on Gomidas. Halfway up the boulevard I decided to switch minibus routes yet again, and got off in Zeytun, located just north of Victory Park, at Garabed Ughetsu street, which leads directly to Mother Armenia.

Naturally my brain, at this time thoroughly simmered to perfection, could not process how to proceed, so I headed towards a small roadside grocery store to have a cold drink. Nearby in the shade were two vendors perched across from one another. An older gentleman named Khachatur sat along the curb of the sidewalk selling sunflower seeds, both salted and unsalted. A middle-aged woman named Koharig had set up a small fruit stand. I stood near them in the shade and conversed with them. Baron Khachatur deduced from my Armenian and the way I was dressed that I most likely from America, and began speaking bits of broken English. We quickly switched to Armenian, and I realized that he was speaking to me in Western Armenian. He told me he was born in the Latakia, Syria and moved to Armenia with his family in the 1940s, when the Soviet Union opened its borders to Armenian emigrants seeking to return to the homeland.

“There is no sea like the sea of Latakia. I saw the sea of Beirut, read about the seas of America and India, but the sea of Latakia is like no other,” Baron Khachatur insisted.

I sat down next to him, and he and Digin Koharig offered me some words of wisdom while I sipped a Kilikia beer and chomped on sunflower seeds.

“Take care of your money. You should keep it in the bank. Don’t walk around with it -- the pickpockets will steal it from you. Stay alert all the time. What are you doing here, anyways? You’re really living here -- where? Why pay rent for an apartment when you can by a house? You can buy one around here for a good price. It’s up to you. But you should home right now and call your father and tell him to send you money to buy one. Aren’t you married? You should find a good girl to take care of you. There’s plenty of good girls here, but watch out. Or else, go back to America to be close to your mother…”

After my fair share of afternoon advice, we wished each other well, and I followed Mother Armenia’s guidance towards Victory Park. Then I descended the unfinished, crumbling sun-bleached Cascade steps, my mind in a heat haze, my spirit evaporated by Armenia’s unrelenting summer sun.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 2:03 PM.
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August 9, 2007
Blowing the whistle
There has finally been an allegation printed in online media outlets about overly bureaucratic international organizations working in some capacity in Armenia being involved in corruption. The first break in the news of the scandal appeared on Onnik’s blog over a week ago. And Hetq Online is apparently the only the online news source that published an article in Armenian about the issue this week—it may appear in English soon.

The scandal involves the World Bank unsurprisingly as I have been suspecting that the organization’s representatives in Armenia have been involved in corrupt practices. The whistleblower, Bruce Tasker, a British citizen, was appointed in 2004 by Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Vahan Hovannisian to examine how efficiently tens of millions of dollars in funds issued by the World Bank were being spent since 1991 in Armenia . He began his investigation with the waterworks overhaul project. On his blog he writes:
In 2004 an Armenian Parliamentary Commission study into the World Bank funded Municipal Development Project found that the Authorized Representative of the project’s International Operator, was involved in a wide range Fraud, Corruption and Embezzlement, totalling tens of millions of dollars. The ‘Individual’ who managed the study for the Commission, reported the problems to the World Bank Armenia Country Manager and to the Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity. But the problems continued – and escalated.

The Authorized Representative at the ‘Center of Corruption’ in the Municipal Development Project continued to provide consultancy services to the Yerevan water company, later to Veolia, a newly appointed World Bank Operator, and in January 2007 he was called upon to manage a new water project, financed by the World Bank.

The ‘Individual’ who had managed the study however found that he had become the subject of reprisals and that his wellbeing was at risk, because of responding to the World Bank call to report Fraud and Corruption, and his problems continued.

The ‘Individual’ who had taken the risk in 2004, and who had become the subject of Serious Pressures by Reporting Tens of Millions of Dollars worth of Fraud and Corruption to the World Bank, found that it was necessary to remind the Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity that neither the World Bank’s problems nor his problems had been resolved.
He goes on to explain the meat of the issue:
When the Parliamentary Commission Study of the Municipal Development Project was eventually completed, it concluded that the Comprehensive Program of Fraud, Corruption and Embezzlement of Public funds was planned even before project implementation formally started.

The problems were reported to the World Bank Armenia Country Manager and the World Bank’s Watchdog organization in Washington, the Department of Institutional Integrity (INT), but:
  • The Authorized Representative of the International Operator (subsidiary of ACEA), who was at the center of the Fraud, Corruption and Embezzlement, continued to provide Consultancy services under World Bank funded Projects
  • The World Bank did little to resolve the problems, so they continued and escalated
  • The World Bank imposed ‘Whistleblower’ Reprisals against The Foreign Public Official, who managed the Study for the Parliamentary Commission [Bruce Tasker]
  • The Head of Commission did not report the full results of the study to the Armenian Public
The study started with a close look at administrative documents, and it was seen that the Municipal Development Project had been Fundamentally Re-Structured. The International Operator’s Authorized Representative had been Appointed General Director of the Yerevan Water & Sewerage Company, the Beneficiary of the World Bank Credit and the company to which the International Operator was Obligated under the Municipal Development Project Management Contract.

The study found Major Shortcomings and Irregularities in the Commercial and Technical Aspects of the Project, and the Head of Commission explained some of those in a Presentation to the National Assembly. But the full implications of the ‘Conflict-of-Interests’ were only later fully understood when the Yerevan Water & Sewerage Company finances were studied. Mr. Richard Walkling, the Authorized Representative of the International Operator, in his capacity as General Director of the Yerevan Water & Sewerage Company, had Manipulated Company Finances in an Attempt to Embezzle Tens of Millions of Dollars from the Armenian State Budget. Moreover, it became apparent that the Auditing firm KPMG, which had audited the Yerevan Water & Sewerage Company accounts for Five Consecutive Years, was Compliant in the Affair.

Throughout the four-month process, the problems were discussed in detail with the Commission Members, and with the World Bank Armenia Country Manager. The Head of Commission Instructed the Senior Specialist to Report the Observations in writing to Mr. Roger Robinson, the World Bank Country Manager and at the end of May, the Head of Commission followed up with a Strong Letter, expressing his concerns about the Serious Problems.

After that letter, the Head of Commission’s enthusiasm for the study inexplicably faded and without explanation he Attempted to Terminate the unfinished Municipal Development Project Study. He Pressured the Senior Specialist to Initiate an Alternative Study of the Government’s ‘Integrated Finance Rehabilitation Plan’, in an attempt to draw the Specialists attention away from the Municipal Development Project. But the new study continually led back to the Municipal Development Project study, and the inter-relationship between the two projects became increasingly apparent. It was soon clear that the financial manipulations seen through the Municipal Development Project study were only a small part of a much greater Program of Corruption, built around the Integrated Finance Rehabilitation Plan.

By the end of July, the Commission term was drawing to an end and Government officials were withholding vital documents from the Commission. So, at the end of August, the Senior Specialist submitted his findings in a Report to the Head of Commission. The report detailed numerous Technical and Commercial Irregularities, involving millions of dollars. But more importantly, it alluded to a plan by the International Operator’s Authorized Representative, in his dual capacity as General Director of the Yerevan Water & Sewerage Company, to Embezzle Public Funds totaling in value more than the $35 million cost of the Municipal Development Project.

But by August the study had attracted the attention of the Speaker of Parliament, and he extended the Commission term by three months to allow the study to be completed. When the outstanding documents were eventually released to the Commission, it became apparent that the World Bank had not only been Fully Aware of the Problems, but it had Undoubtedly been a Collaborator in what was already seen to be a Major and Wide-Ranging Agenda of Corruption.
So there you have it—finally a revelation that one these international organizations that are supposed to be widely regarded as international do-gooders, especially in impoverished countries throughout Africa, is in fact behind the scenes up to no good. I am sure that this gentleman is going to have a hard time personally and professionally for his bravery, as the World Bank has apparently “blacklisted” him. The citizens of Armenia should be very thankful to him for his efforts (although many of them don’t know what he did and probably don’t care anyway, but that’s between you and me).

But the situation intensifies.
In March 2004, after Vahan Hovannisian had Presented the Initial Study Findings to the National Assembly, he Promised that when the study was completed, he would Report the Full and Final Study Conclusions to the Armenian Public. But the Armenian Public Never heard about the Major Fraud, Corruption and Embezzlement exposed by Vahan Hovannisian’s Parliamentary Commission.

What this means is that the internationally coveted Socialist International member Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutiun—the same organization for which I have worked tirelessly in the past and for its party program I have proudly sweated—could perhaps be perceived as being indirectly or directly (depending on the personal view) involved. Vahan Hovannisian was jailed in the mid-1990s by then President Levon Ter-Pedrossian along with several other party members; he is the same person who I applauded for preserving his dignity while he was rotting in a jail cell as a political prisoner after being arrested for what would become revealed as being trumped-up charges. But you have to wonder whether he received a kickback to shut up about the whole thing. I mean, it makes no sense that he would not reveal the findings of the commission to the Armenian public. To suppose that he simply never got around to presenting the study’s findings or that the study was deemed unworthy by the commission is naive thinking.

Tasker’s first post was made on July 18. I am somewhat surprised that no one from the World Bank or the Armenian government has commented on these findings.

He also points out some interesting statistics about the overall water allocation situation in Yerevan.
The major problem, which the World Bank passes off as a simple statistic in a single phrase, is the massive and ever-increasing proportion of water that is fed into the Yerevan water system and continually lost. [...]

According to the World Bank Implementation Completion Report of 2006, 80% of the water fed into the Yerevan water system each day is LOST. The Yerevan Water Company pours 903,750 cubic meters in to the system every day, out of which consumers use 180,750 cubic meters and a Massive 723,000 cubic meters of water is LOST EVERY DAY.

Although the Yerevan Water Company is servicing a city of about ONE Million people, it is apparently delivering enough water for FIVE Million people!!
But where is all the water actually going? We can assume that it is leaking from the pipes along the way to Yerevan from Garni and other places, but no one can say for sure how much environmental damage that water loss may be causing unless someone actually looks into it. As far as I know, no one has.

I live in Central Yerevan and my building receives running water from about 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, but sometimes the water is shut off an hour early or for several hours during the day. Water was supposed to have been provided 24 hours a day by now. Supposedly in areas of Arabkir that is the case, but I know for a fact that some residents of the “Raikom” neighborhood for instance only receive water for two hours in the morning and two in the evening. Perhaps when the chaotic mess along Gomidas Avenue finally comes to an end, as they are supposedly changing the water pipes up there, the water shortage problem will no longer exist. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Photo caption: A "new" water booster pump installed in a Yerevan apartment building.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 12:11 PM.
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