State Water Committee to carry out over 1 billion AMD investment projects in 2019 against raise of tariff

Government-affiliated Water Committee will implement certain investment projects of Veolia Water company instead the latter will not raise the water tariff for consumers by 2025.

Speaking to Aysor.am, Committee chairman Inessa Gabayan said the body will implement projects amounting to 1 billion 28 million AMD in 2019.

She said as a result of implementation of the project they will save money and invest them in the water supply systems.

“Veolia Water company has its commitments, the state its. We have conducted rather uneasy negotiations and finally came to agreement,” she noted.

As to the state’s commitments for other years, Gabayan said they will agree over them in process of work. “There are 55 rural communities in Armenia which already have water supply networks. Today these systems are ready for being passed to Veolia’s service. With it the company’s service sector expands and affects the tariff. There are 570 other communities which do not have systems but may become Veolia’s customers. They [the company] must move step by step increasing the number of its customers. On our part, we hope to find new cases of water losses which will also have positive impact on tariffs,” she said.

Gabayan stressed that the commitments the Water Committee has assumed will not create additional budget expenses.
Gabayan said the agreement is not oral, a corresponding contract has been signed.

“Serious negotiations have been conducted and an agreement has been signed by Water Committee president and Veolia company’s director,” Gabayan said.

Earlier during the election campaign, Pashinyan stated that the water tariff will not grow until 2024 for customers due to agreement reached between the state and the company.