Armenia Water Supply and Sanitation. In-Ho Keum
Armenia Water Supply and Sanitation
Challenges, Achievements, and Future Directions
In-Ho Keum
© 2011 Asian Development Bank
All rights reserved. Published in 2011.
Printed in the Philippines.
ISBN 978-92-9092-472-2
Publication Stock No. BKK114083
Cataloging-In-Publication Data
Keum, In-Ho.
Armenia water supply and sanitation: Challenges, achievements, and future directions.
Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2011.
1. Water supply. 2. Sanitation. 3. Armenia. I. Asian Development Bank.
The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent.
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Foreword
Armenia is a country that has taken bold actions to bolster water and sanitation service delivery. One of these actions was outsourcing the management functions to an international operator with a track record and experience in the sector. This measure was accompanied by long-term finance from the Asian Development Bank. Such finance will be used to invest in infrastructure, training, and reforms. This mix of professional management, finance, and reforms has delivered tangible results: coverage is up, quality has improved, and service delivery is more efficient. The work is commendable and the most appropriate way to serve customers. This report shares these experiences. We think they are relevant and meaningful to others in the region.
Acknowledgement
This report benefited from discussions with and review by members of Asian Development Bank’s Water Committee, particularly the Urban Water Stream and the Sanitation Action Group.
Abbreviations
AWSC – Armenia Water and Sewerage Company
NRW – non-revenue water
O&M – operation and maintenance
PPP – public–private partnership
PSRC – Public Service Regulatory Commission
SCWS – State Committee of Water Systems
WSS – water supply and sanitation
YWSC – Yerevan Water and Sewerage Company
INTRODUCTION
Armenia is a mountainous country in the South Caucasus area, bordering Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Turkey. It has a population of around 3 million, with about 64% living in urban areas and the remaining in rural regions of the country.
With 10.2 billion cubic meters (m3) of water per year on average, of which 2.4 billion m3 is used for drinking purposes, the country indeed has abundant water resources. About 96% of drinking water is groundwater drawn through boreholes, wells, and springs. Most raw water is of good quality and requires only disinfection. The typical drinking water infrastructure includes water intakes, transmission mains, pumping stations, and distribution networks.
Eduard Chil-Akopyan/Lernik Asatryan
Typical wastewater infrastructure includes house connections, sewer networks, pumping stations, and wastewater treatment plants. However, since Armenia’s independence in 1991, the deterioration of water supply and sanitation (WSS) infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms has impacted the quality of water, making it a crucial issue on the development agenda. For almost all Armenians, low-pressure water, which sometimes failed to comply with biological water quality standards, was available for only a few hours a day.
Armenia became a member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2006. Since 2007, ADB has supported reforms and investments in the country’s WSS sector, working with the government and other international financial institutions and bilateral funding agencies.1
The efforts of the government and development partners over the past decade resulted in improved water access, reliability, and quality. The institutional model adopted by Armenia, which combines public investments with private sector operation for the WSS utilities, has led to the country’s achievements.
This report looks at the challenges, achievements, and the future to facilitate WSS sector reforms in other ADB developing member countries facing similar challenges.
Eduard Chil-Akopyan/Lernik Asatryan
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