Aramazd Ghalamkaryan, Chairman of the Water Committee, accompanied by Deputy Chairman Nvard Vardanyan and Tigran Vardanyan, Director of "Jrar" CJSC, participated today in a monitoring visit to the Azat Reservoir as part of the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) project "Improving Lake and Reservoir Management Capacities in Armenia for Climate Resilience."

The event was also attended by Aram Ghazaryan, Director of the Rescue Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs; Levon Azizyan, Director of the "Hydro-Meteorology and Monitoring Center" SNCO under the Ministry of Environment; His Excellency Mr. Yutaka Aoki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan; Natia Natsvlishvili, UNDP Resident Representative; and other officials.

The $1 million USD project was funded by the Government of Japan.

During the visit, the primary directions and results of the project were presented:

• Hydrological, meteorological, and water-metering stations were installed at the Aparan, Azat, and Metsavan reservoirs, as well as at observation posts in Aghstev and Ayrum.
• Modern dam safety equipment was installed at the Azat reservoir. Geophysical surveys were conducted at the Aparan and Azat reservoirs, the results of which were used to modernize community disaster risk management in potential inundation zones.
• A numerical weather forecasting system was deployed, providing more accurate weather forecasts at the local community level.
• A model reservoir management and preparedness plan was developed, which is intended for implementation across all major reservoirs in Armenia. Additionally, a training curriculum on reservoir dam risk assessment was created and submitted to the MIA Educational Complex for finalization and integration.
• As part of the UN "Early Warnings for All" (EW4All) initiative, a roadmap for Armenia's early warning systems was drafted and validated.

Water Committee Chairman Aramazd Ghalamkaryan congratulated the partners and expressed his gratitude for the support extended to the Government of Armenia by Japan. He noted that Armenia is implementing several vital and continuous programs with both the UNDP and the Government of Japan.

According to the WC Chairman, these projects are of key significance for enhancing climate resilience, risk management, and infrastructure development, including in the reservoir sector. He emphasized that maintaining ongoing cooperation remains a priority given the current challenges in the water resource management system.

In conclusion, Ghalamkaryan highlighted that the Government of Armenia, represented by the Water Committee, is making substantial investments toward modernizing reservoir infrastructure.