C2 – Freshwater abstraction in the Republic of Armenia
Is freshwater abstraction sustainable in the Republic of Armenia?
Water exploitation index (WEI) in the Republic of Armenia
Figure 1-Development of annual water exploitation index in the Republic of Armenia (2000-2017)
Data sources:
(C1) Renewable freshwater resources by indicators and years provided by ArmStatBank
(C12) Freshwater abstraction (surface and groundwater) by indicators and years provided by ArmStatBank
Armenia is a non-water stressed country. On average (between 2000 and 2017) the annual renewable freshwater resource was around 6 670 million m3 corresponding to 2 189 m3/per capita per year. However, due to inadequate water management practices, Armenia has been facing severe water stress conditions for a long time. The annual WEI on average is higher than 40 %. The annual WEI was 61.4 % in 2017. That means that almost two thirds of all renewable freshwater resources in Armenia was abstracted to meet the water demands of society and the economy.
The WEI illustrates the level of the pressure of water abstraction on renewable water resources. Renewable water resources, overall, are under the control of climate conditions. In particular, they are affected by precipitation and actual evapotranspiration. During wet years (high precipitation and low actual evapotranspiration), the WEI would be relatively lower, while in dry years, even though water abstraction remains at the same level, the WEI would be higher.
Renewable water resources in Armenia vary greatly from year to year. In 2007, Armenia received 9 367 million m3 of renewable water resources, which was the highest annual amount between 2000 and 2017, while 2000 was the worst year, receiving only 2 873 million m3 of renewable water resources. In 2017, the amount of renewable water resources received was 4 663 million m3, which was significantly below the annual average (6 671 million m3).
Is water abstraction decreasing?
Figure 2 - Development of water abstraction by source in the Republic of Armenia (2000-2017)
Data sources:
(C2) Freshwater abstraction (surface and groundwater) by indicators and years provided by ArmStatBank
According to the estimated WEI, Armenia abstracted 61.4 % of its total renewable water resources in 2017, which means that Armenia faces unsustainable water scarcity conditions. On the other hand, it should be noted that seasonal variations in water exploitation would be much higher.
Around 65 % of the total water demand is met by surface water resources. Lake Sevan plays an important role in meeting the water demand, particularly for the Ararat region, which creates pressures on the ecological and hydrological conditions of the lake. In parallel to that, water abstraction from groundwater resources has also more than doubled since 2000. Groundwater is mainly used for drinking purposes and agriculture (UNECE, 2000).
What are the pressures of economic activities on freshwater resources?
Figure 3 - Development of water abstraction by economic activities in the Republic of Armenia (2011-2017)
Data sources:
Freshwater abstraction by Nomenclature of Economic Activities (NACE) and years provided by ArmStatBank
Figure 4 - Water abstraction by economic activities in the Republic of Armenia (2017)
Data sources:
Freshwater abstraction by NACE and years provided by ArmStatBank
Two major sectors put very high demands on water in Armenia: public water supply (61 % of total freshwater abstraction) and agriculture (34 %). Only a small portion of total freshwater abstraction (5 %) is accounted for by mining, manufacturing, energy and other purposes. Around 80 % of the total arable land is irrigated in Armenia (UNECE, 2000). However, aquaculture has the largest share of the total water abstraction for agriculture. On average, 70 % of the total freshwater abstraction for agriculture is accounted for by fish farms, mainly located in the Ararat region, which is under high water stress conditions. In order to meet the high water demand of the Ararat region, water is transferred from other basins, i.e. Lake Sevan. Since the 1930s, the water level of Lake Sevan has been lowered by more than 19 m, and there has been a 26 % increase in water use. Interbasin water transfer from the Arpi basin to Lake Sevan has been widely used. However, water abstraction from the lake for irrigation and energy generation is still increasing.
The total population of Armenia declined from 3 226 million in 2000 to 2 986 million in 2017 (ArmStatBank, 2019). During the same period, the total freshwater abstraction increased by 32 %. On average 29.6 % of abstracted water is lost during transport within the public water supply system. Recently, with financial support from the European Investment Bank, the Armenian government has been implementing the Yerevan Water Supply Improvement Project, to improve the water supply system in Yerevan (EBRD, 2016).
Indicator specification
Indicator definition
The total volume of freshwater abstracted annually (surface and groundwater) – by all economic activity in accordance with the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) and expressed as a percentage of renewable freshwater resources – i.e. as the country’s WEI.
Units
The total volume of freshwater abstraction and the volume by economic activity are measured in million cubic metres (million m3) per year; the WEI is expressed as a percentage.
Rationale
Justification for indicator selection
The indicator provides a measure of the freshwater abstracted from natural sources, as well as the pressure on the environment in terms of the abstraction of freshwater resources.
Monitoring of freshwater abstraction is of great importance to Armenia for preserving renewable water resources and improving the sustainability of water resources management. The indicator enables a proper assessment of how Armenia is achieving the preservation and efficient use of its natural capital.
Scientific references
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ArmStatBank, 2018. Environmental economic accounts, Water accounts, Physical water use and supply tables by years, indicators and NACE categories and types.
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EBRD, 2016. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Yerevan Water Supply Improvement Project, Procurement ref: 8123-IFT-43253, Project number: 43253.
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UNECE, 2000. Environmental Performance Review- Armenia. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Committee on Environmental Policy, Environmental Performance Reviews Series No. 10, ISBN 92-1-116775-2, New York.
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UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Description of C2. Freshwater abstraction.
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UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Glossary of terms – C2. Freshwater abstraction.
Policy context and targets
Context description
National policy context
Freshwater abstraction from surface and groundwater resources are managed by the Water Resources Management Agency under the Ministry of Nature Protection. The water abstraction regime is regulated by the Water Code of the Republic of Armenia, the National Water Law and the Environmental Impact Statement (2017), including respective governmental decrees and other legislative documents.
International policy context
Armenia presented its first voluntary national review (VNR) of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations (UN) High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2018.
The VNR presents the progress and experience gained by Armenia so far during the process of nationalising and implementing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. It also aims to deliver and reflect on political, legal, practical and behavioural advantages, as well as obstacles and challenges in Armenia’s daily life regarding the implementation of the SDGs. Undoubtedly, the process confirms the cross-cutting and broad-ranging nature of the exercise that most probably will go beyond 2030 and will require concerted efforts and commitment at both national and international levels.
Targets
National targets
No national target has been specified.
International targets
UN SDG 6, target 6.4: by 2030, substantially increase water use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
Related policy documents
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Republic of Armenia, Water Code (adopted on 4 June 2002)
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Republic of Armenia, Law on the National Water Programme (adopted on 27 November 2006)
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Republic of Armenia, Law on Fundamentals of the National Water Policy (adopted on 27 May 2005)
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Decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on the estimation of the water spaces, water requirements and ecological outputs of the Republic of Armenia, 2011 (No link has been provided).
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SDG Implementation Voluntary National Review – Armenia. United Nations (2018). SDG Implementation Voluntary National Review – Armenia. Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies. Report for the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Yerevan. (accessed 12 February 2019).
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Sustainable Development Goals. UN (2016). Sustainable development goals, the sustainable development agenda.
Methodology
Methodology for indicator calculation
Units and equations
|
ID |
Component |
Units |
Equation |
|
C2.1 |
Fresh surface water abstracted |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.2 |
Fresh groundwater abstracted |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.3 |
Freshwater abstracted |
million m3 |
= C 2.1 + C 2.2; = C 2.4 + C 2.5 + C 2.6 + C 2.7 + C 2.8 + C 2.9 |
|
C2.4 |
Water supply industry (ISIC 36) |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.5 |
Households |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.6 |
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (ISIC 01-03) |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.7 |
Manufacturing (ISIC 10-33) |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.8 |
Electricity industry (ISIC 351) |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.9 |
Other economic activities |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.10 |
Renewable freshwater resources (surface) |
million m3 |
|
|
C2.11 |
WEI for surface water |
percentage % |
= C 2.1/C 2.10 |
Methodology for gap filling
Interpolation has been performed based on the theoretical estimation for sectoral water abstraction.
Methodology references
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EEA, 2005. EEA core set of indicators guide. EEA Technical report No 1/2005, ISBN 92-9167-757-4, Luxembourg.
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UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Data template – C2: Freshwater abstraction.
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UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Description of C2: Freshwater abstraction.
-
UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Glossary of terms – C2: Freshwater abstraction.
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UNSD and UNEP, 2013. Questionnaire 2013 on Environment Statistics. United Nations Statistics Division and United Nations Environment Programme, Questionnaire 2013 on Environment Statistics, Section Water.
Uncertainties
Methodology uncertainty
No methodological uncertainty has been specified.
Data sets uncertainty
Groundwater abstraction is not measured by metering. It is estimated by the change in the groundwater level.
Actual evapotranspiration is based on an estimation. No sufficient data coverage is available for the inflow of groundwater from neighbouring countries and the outflow of groundwater to neighbouring countries
The time series of the underlying data between 1990 and 2011 has been compiled based on the definition of parameters introduced in the underlying data and has been applied in accordance with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) questionnaire on environmental statistics, whereas the data covering 2011 onwards has been collected according to the parameters’ definition of the UNECE environmental indicators. This creates a large break in the time series, particularly for the water supply industry and agriculture.
Rationale uncertainty
No uncertainty has been specified.
Data sources
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Official statistics of the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia provided by ArmStatBank
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Environmental statistics of Armenia for 2016 and time-series of indicators for 2012-2016 provided by ArmStatBank
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Environment and Natural Resources in the Republic of Armenia for 2016 provided by ArmStatBank
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Water accounts provided by ArmStatBank.
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System of National Accounts provided by ArmStatBank