Armenia : Towards Integrated Water Resources Management

The objective of this paper is to
examine the challenges in the water sector faced by Armenia
today, and outline options for management and allocation of
its water resources in the future, considering the need for
a stable, transparent apublic sector management framework
and sustainable resource use for long-term private
investment and job creation, and for appropriate balances
among water uses for domestic, industrial, agriculture,
electricity generation, watershed protection, and ecological
purposes. The report builds on the recommendations of the
Integrated Water Resources Management Planning (IWRMP)
Study, which was supported by the World Bank, financed by
the Government of Netherlands, and completed in 2001. The
report also builds on experience with project implementation
to date in water-related sectors. The report suggests that a
water management strategy that focuses on rehabilitation and
reduction of water losses, and balances for drinking,
irrigation, hydropower, and environmental use is likely to
have the highest welfare gains. Further, a strategy that
uses economic instruments to manage demand, and increases
private sector participation and local stakeholder
responsibility for system operation, with the public sector
maintaining a key role in overall water resources
management, will help improve the efficiency of water use.