{"id":21598,"date":"2023-09-24T19:49:42","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T15:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/?p=21598"},"modified":"2024-07-26T14:27:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T10:27:36","slug":"national-security-concerns-due-to-skyscrapers-towering-in-yerevan-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ampop.am\/en\/national-security-concerns-due-to-skyscrapers-towering-in-yerevan-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"National security concerns due to skyscrapers towering in Yerevan. Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

About 30% of the capital, roughly 6,760 hectares, is covered in green spaces. If this sounds hard to believe, we share your skepticism, but these are the official statistics. This includes all the parks, gardens, and any place with grass or flowers in the city. This number encompasses all public and private green areas within the capital, as well as various forms of green vegetation cover, including flower beds and lawns. In essence, it includes any area adorned with greenery or flowers.<\/p>\n

However, it’s more important to focus on the number of green areas with trees and foliage, as they are the ones producing oxygen and shielding the capital from dust.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Assuming the data is accurate, it’s important to note that it has remained consistent in publicly available documents since at least 2015. This includes documents like the city development plan and annual reports. It’s worth emphasizing this point, given that construction in the capital the scale of which is growing, and part of it, if not the bigger part, is being done at the expense of green areas.<\/p>\n

A striking example of this trend is the green area at 6\/1 Alikhanyan Brothers Street, which used to span approximately 2000 square meters. This area was previously part of the district commonly referred to as Physgorodok. However, starting in 2020, it was transformed into a construction site without the necessary permit from city authorities.<\/p>\n

Although the protests of the district residents against the construction of 12-story buildings next to those with just 3 to 4 stories ended up with a criminal action against the constructors<\/a>, it did not prevent the destroying of the green area and continuing the construction<\/a>, causing numerous inconveniences to the residents.<\/p>\n

Three years after the start of construction, in March 2023, the General Prosecutor’s Office of RA documented<\/a> that there was an illegal expropriation, causing a large amount of damage to the state.<\/p>\n

Read also: National security concerns due to skyscrapers towering in Yerevan. Part 1\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Consequences<\/h3>\n

Until the 1990s, Yerevan’s main green spaces<\/a> included the Norq forest, the Dalma gardens, and the thickets at Victory Park. However, these areas faced the effects of extensive logging during the energy crisis of the 90s, along with illegal land grabs and large-scale construction afterward. As a result, they lost their former significance. Today, only about half of the original 113 hectares of the Norq forest remain green, and even less of the Dalma gardens’ 700 hectares, with just 256 hectares still green.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Another fundamental green area of the capital is the Botanical Garden, with about 70% (56 000 sqm) of its territory requiring restoration.<\/p>\n

It appears that the city today lacks natural green fencing to resist the wide-scale construction and the dust and winds<\/a> resulting from the soil erosion, which is due to the lost coverage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the five-year period from 2018 to 2022, there has been an increase<\/a> in dust and nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the capital, particularly during certain months.<\/p>\n

In July 2023, for example, the index of dust in Yerevan has exceeded<\/a> the permitted concentration level by 1.2.<\/p>\n

“Yerevan consistently tops international rankings for cities with the highest air pollution levels, often falling into the ‘red zone.’ According to these rankings, going outdoors in Yerevan without wearing a face mask poses a health risk, and engaging in sports and other outdoor activities is discouraged,” explained Lilit Sahakyan, the director of the eco-center at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, in an interview with Ampop Media<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Changes in average monthly concentrations of dust in the atmospheric air of Yerevan<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>*Defined permitted concentration (DPC)<\/em><\/p>\n

The action plan of the Green City Yerevan indicates that the city budget lacks sufficient funds to restore the green fencing (876 ha) around the city envisioned by the master plan of the capital. Besides, creation of nurseries for plants is impossible, because the land lots intended for them are no longer available, with some others being polluted or eroded.<\/p>\n

So, it appears, on the one side, the city authorities lack the required means and resources to restore the green areas, and on the other hand, it gives green light to the construction of hundreds of multi-apartment residential blocks at the expense of the green areas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

According to the data available on the website of the Yerevan municipality currently there are 6545 construction permits granted, 65% of which are granted for the construction of residential houses. 575 of them are meant for brand new multi-apartment and multifunctional blocks and complexes.<\/p>\n

Is there a demand and need for so many residential blocks in the capital, which occupied less than 1% of the country\u2019s territory?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the center of the capital, which seems to have no place left for new buildings, 376 (49%) of the total 726 permits have been granted for the construction, restoration or expansion of residential buildings.<\/p>\n