Water Resources Management Agency Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia

Written by Erkin Turdibaev

Friday, 26 July 2013

The Water Resources Management Agency (WRMA) is a separate division of the Ministry of Nature Protection of the Republic of Armenia. The agency is developing water resources management policy and ensuring its implementation on the basis of river basin approach. 1. Aims and objectives: a) policy development and management of groundwater and fresh water resources for the protection and efficient use of water resources of the Republic of Armenia, b) ensuring the implementation of measures to improve and preserve the national water reserve of the Republic of Armenia, c) provision of water supply to the population and the economy at present and in the future, a preliminary assessment of the quality and quantity of usable water d) ensuring the implementation of the preliminary works of the National Water Policy and the National Water Program in Armenia, e) promote the management and the protection of water resources in the framework of the National Water Policy and National Water Program in Armenia, f) ensuring the implementation of fundamental and applied scientific researches and the investments of their results in the management and protection of water resources, g) provision of the demand formation of qualitative and quantitative monitoring of water resources, h) provision of  inventory of the water balance and maintenance of the state water cadastre i) ensure the development of river basin management plans. 2. Functions: a) ensuring the development and implementation of river basin management plans, b) provision of water use permits, c) formation of tasks on the implementation of water resources monitoring and registration of their reports, d) registration of documents in state water cadastre and the provision of information, e) in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Armenia to inform the public about the documents developed by the agency, f) organization of specialized laboratories to perform the control analysis of quantitative and qualitative indicators of sewage basins, g) modification or cancellation of a permission in case of violations of the requirements of the water use permits from the direction of water users, h) establishment of the order of water resources monitoring. 3. Basin Management Organizations The BMOs in the structure of Water Resources Management Agency are the connecting link between the organ of water resources management and the community served by the BMOs. Functions of BMOs: •    Based on the national water program develop water basin management plans by coordinating sector and public interests; •    Register and record water use permits issued by WRMA •    Control the water resources use, recording, regime, work of water metering devices according to the established water extraction quantities, as well as the water protection zones; •    Ensure that water use does not exceed limits allowed by water use permits and submit a report on that to WRMA; •    Subject to an approval of the WRMA, establish water intake quantities and regimes; and maintains records of water intake and monitor its implementation, •    Participate in development of prospective plans for water allocation among water users, including water supply marginal quantities and water supply regime; •    Develops projects of the prospective programs of protection, use and management of the basin water resources. 4. State Water Cadastre The State Water Cadastre (SWC) was initiated in the 2003 by the Armenian Water Resources Management Agency based on the Government decision. The State Water Cadastre is a permanent operating system, characterizing water resources and water users. Cadastre includes a full description of water resources with hydrographic, hydrological, hydro chemical, hydro biological point of view, but also gives information on water intake and discharge of water in the water. State Water Cadastre ensures: •    Establishment of data warehouse related to water sector, •    The long-term characteristics of water quality and quantity, •    Composition of water resources balance, according to separate river basins and overall. •    Creation of database on water resources with the help of software ArcView GIS, which provides an opportunity to geographically display, study, query and analyze data on the water quantity and quality, on water users and hydro-technical structures, etc., •    A comprehensive assessment of water resources (in constant interaction) taking into account the human activities in the present conditions as well as in the future, •    Establishment of communication systems for the exchange of information, •    Introduction of modern system of water resources management based on water cadastre inventory using the coding system of water resources, as a means to integrate information and mapping at the national level. Contacts: Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia Water Resources Management Agency Address: Republic of Armenia,Yerevan, Republic Square, Government Building 3 Tel.:     (+374 10) 52 10 99, (+374 10) 54 08 67 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Web site: www.mnp.am

Last Updated ( Friday, 26 July 2013 )