Perspectives for Institutional Transformations in Water and Land Management and Reorganization of the Water Committee Discussed
March 13, 2026
Chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a meeting was held to discuss the prospects of institutional transformations in water and land management, as well as the reorganization of the Water Committee.
Aramazd Ghalamkaryan, Chairman of the Water Committee under the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, presented the roadmap for the institutional transformation of the Water Committee. The roadmap includes the development of a strategic program for water systems management for 2026–2035, the review and modernization of legislation and existing norms, an inventory of irrigation systems and land plots, the efficient, climate-resilient, and water-saving management of water resources, the improvement of irrigation system management, monitoring, land consolidation, an increase in the proportion of water-efficient agriculture, and reservoir construction efforts, among other initiatives.
Details were also presented regarding the Water Committee's international programs for 2026–2031.
Touching upon the topic, the Prime Minister noted that strategic goals in water management must be clearly defined to move in the right direction: "Our strategic goal should be to make 100 percent of agricultural land—arable land, perennial plantations, and meadlowlands—irrigable." According to Nikol Pashinyan, investments in the water sector should be substantially directed toward the development of irrigation technologies.
The Head of State also emphasized the need to carry out work toward expanding agricultural lands. "This is already a matter of professional analysis, and it is also a very important direction. That is, I believe we must set such a strategic task in the water sector and formulate this strategic task as clearly as possible," said the Prime Minister.
Referring to land consolidation, Nikol Pashinyan noted that it serves as a direct and concrete tool for increasing water use efficiency. The Prime Minister suggested viewing the interconnectedness of these two issues within the logic of public administration reforms.
"Our next strategic task in the water sector is that all settlements in the republic must have 24-hour drinking water. That is, without exception, all settlements must have round-the-clock drinking water. We must build our long-term programs according to this logic," noted Nikol Pashinyan, stressing that solving all these issues is impossible without a shift in public mindset regarding water.
Continuing the subject, the Prime Minister stated: "The next important issue, which I believe we often lose sight of, is the generation and supply of water resources necessary for our economic growth. Because we mix technical water and drinking water together, we essentially lose sight of a critical fact: numerous branches of the economy require technical water. As I understand it now, drinking water is also being used as technical water in places, which is a fundamental problem. That is, here too we must understand that, ultimately, while we secured an average annual economic growth of 7% in the previous period, and are setting a 6% annual economic growth target for the coming period, we lack calculations on what additional water resources this growing economy will need. We are setting very ambitious goals for industrial output growth, but we forget that results are impossible without water. Industry and industrial growth are impossible without it. If there is industrial growth, it means there is also an increase in water consumption—an increase in technical water consumption." In this context, Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the importance of regulating issues related to technical water.
Turning to the next strategic priority, the Head of State emphasized that no untreated water should be discharged into nature anywhere in the republic. "It does not matter for what purpose that water was used. Once water is used, it must be treated before being discharged into nature. This is a very important strategic task, including within the logic of preserving and developing water resources. And, of course, the ongoing topic we face is the preservation and development of Lake Sevan, followed by the maintenance and care of rivers and lakes derived from it."
An exchange of views and an active discussion took place regarding steps aimed at consolidating and effectively managing water resources and systems.
Prime Minister Pashinyan instructed the officials in charge to organize a working discussion on mechanisms for the effective implementation of institutional changes in the sector and report back on the results.