Viva-MTS: modern technological solutions to modernize the infrastructure of the border village

Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values (FPWC) are modernizing the infrastructures they jointly built in the regions. In the Gomk settlement of Vayots Dzor marz, the management of the external lighting system is carried out by both automatic and remote control. Thanks to the new technologies, the adjustment of the lights is carried out according to the most flexible principle, running on a photo relay reacting to natural light and using mobile phone. This control mechanism helps increase energy savings and interfere with the set schedule with just one call or short message.

“For more than 9 years, partner organizations have stood by the side of our border settlement to develop infrastructure here. Modernization was new for us; new technologies were used. Now, in addition to the automatic control of the system, it is possible to turn the lights off or on with a phone call or a text message, when needed. When there is an outage in the village, I am informed about it through the message,” said Mkhitar Hovhannisyan, the administrative head of Gomk.

The borderland village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. The project of deploying LED systems has been implemented in other remote borderland villages of Armenia, as well. The main streets were lit, first hand, then – the secondary streets. Within the latest modernization program carried out in Gomk, improvements were made, including the modernization of control panel, replacement of 71 LED-lights bulbs that were either damaged or had run out of warranty service; as well as painting of the electric power line poles. The newly installed 50W light bulbs are more cost-effective and have higher productivity.

In all settlements included in the eco-village program, environmental and energy-efficient LED-light system reduces energy consumption by 80%. The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values and the foundation’s main partner Viva-MTS consider it important to use new technologies from the point of view of environmental protection, increasing energy saving and community development.

The projects implemented by the partnering organizations in Gomk go beyond infrastructures of outdoor lighting alone. As part of the initiative, the parties have also supported the village by introduction of electric fences against wild animals penetrating inhabited areas, using new technologies.