Is household water use per capita decreasing in the Republic of Armenia?

Armenia is not a water-scarce country. On average (2000-2017), the annual renewable freshwater resource is around 6,800 million m3, corresponding to 2,200 m3/per capita per year. However, due to insufficient water management practices, Armenia has been facing severe water stress conditions for a long time. The annual water exploitation index (WEI) on average is higher than 40 %.

Water supplied to households is mainly used for drinking and cooking and for hygiene, including basic needs for personal and domestic cleanliness and amenity use such as car washing, lawn watering, etc. (Howard and Bartram, 2003).

In Armenia, the average annual total freshwater use is 2 549 million m³ for meeting the water demands of various sectors including households. In 2017, the total freshwater use by all sectors was around 2,040 million m³, of which 107.6 million m3 was water supplied by the water supply industry (5.2 %) to households.

Annual household water use has fluctuated tremendously in recent years, downwards from 2000 to 2009, and then upwards from 2009 to 2017 due to the expansion of the public water supply network to rural areas. By means of that improvement, the total water supplied to households by the water supply industry increased from 61.4 million m³ in 2009 to 107.6 million m³ in 2017. Over the same time, the population has decreased by 7 %.

Although drinking water demand is mostly met by groundwater resources in Armenia, water losses during transport remains high, with an average rate of 30 % of total water supply.

In 2017, on average, an Armenian citizen used 36 m3 of water from renewable freshwater resources. This corresponds to approximately 98.6 l of freshwater/capita per day.

According to the UNECE environmental performance assessment, during the 2000s, around 80 % of the pipes were more than 10 years old and 55 % were more than 20 years old.

Their maintenance had been neglected. The number of breakdowns was increasing regularly. However, since 2009, as a result of the implementation of the water management strategy of the Armenian government, the share of population connected to the water supply network has increased to 96.3 % of the total, with more focus being given to the rural areas.

Indicator specification

Indicator definition

The quantity of water used to cover the household and related utility needs of the population through the water supply industry and self-supply.

Units

Volumes of water used by households in total are measured in million cubic metres and per capita in cubic meter.

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

The indicator is important for defining the level of development of the water economy services and the degree of water accessibility to cover all of the household needs of the population. The indicator also helps to identify trends in household water use in a particular country.

Scientific references

Government of the Republic of Armenia, 2014. Progressive Development Strategic Programme of the Republic of Armenia for 2014-2025. Government of the Republic of Armenia, 2014. Decision no. 442-N

Howard, G. and Bartram, J., 2003. Domestic Water Quantity, Service Level and Health. World Health Organization, WHO/SDE/WSH/03.02, Geneva, Switzerland.

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.

UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Description of C4: Household water use per capita.

UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Glossary of terms – C4: Household water use per capita.

Policy context and targets

Context description

National policy context

The law of the Republic of Armenia on the fundamentals of the national water policy is aimed at meeting the basic needs of the population, ensuring the maintenance and utilisation of renewable water resources and the quantity needed to reduce and prevent diseases due to water shortages and to maintain the aquatic ecosystems. In that context, the overall target is to satisfy the population’s everyday cultural and household water demands.

The progressive development of the strategic programme of the Republic of Armenia for 2014-2025 aims to increase the reliability and efficiency of the operation of the drinking water supply and sewage systems, reduce water losses and improve the quality of water and wastewater services.

International policy context

The UN SDG 6 of the Sustainable Development Agenda for the period up to 2030 is to ‘ensure access to water and sanitation for all’. Target 6.1 of SDG 6 aims ‘by 2030, to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all’. Similarly, target 6.2 aims to, ‘by 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.’

Targets

No specific target has been identified.

Related policy documents

• Progressive Development Strategic Programme of the Republic of Armenia for 2014-2025. Government of the Republic of Armenia, 2014. Decision no. 442-N

• Republic of the Armenia Water Code (adopted on 4 June 2002)

• Republic of Armenia Law on the National Water Programme (adopted on 27 November 2006)

• Republic of Armenia Law on Fundamentals of the National Water Policy (adopted on 27 May 2005)

• Sustainable Development Goals. UN (2016). Sustainable development goals, the sustainable

development agenda.

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

Units and equations

ID	Component	Units	Equation
C4.1	Water supplied to households by water supply industry	million m3/year
C4.2	Population connected to water supply industry (estimation)	million persons
C4.3	Water use per capita (water supply industry)	m3/capita/year	= C 4.1/C 4.2
C4.4	Population not connected to water supply industry (self-supply; estimation)	million persons	= C 4.8 - C 4.2
C4.5	Estimated water use by households supplied by self-supply per capita	m3/capita/year
C4.6	Water use in the country (self-supply)	million m3/year	= C 4.4  C 4.5
C4.7	Total water use by households	million m3/year	=C 4.1 + C 4.6
C4.8	Total population	million persons
C4.9	Total household water use (water supply industry and self-supply) per capita	m3/capita/year	=C 4.7/C 4.8

 

Methodology for gap filling

No gap filling has been performed

Methodology references

• EEA, 2005. EEA core set of indicators guide. EEA Technical report No 1/2005, ISBN 92-9167-757-4, Luxembourg.

• UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Data template – C4: Household water use per capita.

• UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Description of C4: Household water use per capita.

• UNECE, 2018. Guidelines for the Application of Environmental Indicators, Glossary of terms – C4: Household water use per capita.

• 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 uncertainty has been specified

Data sets uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified.

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified.

Data sources

• (C4)Household water use per capita by indicators and years provided by ArmStatBank