Project on protecting Mtkvari river water quality

Trans-boundary river management for the Kura River basin is a program sponsored by the EU which started in 2008 and is planned to be finished in 2011. Expert from the Yerevan office of this project Lusine Taslakian, stated that program envisages the provision of consulting assistance to state structures for managing the water resources of the river. It will also carry out monitoring the implementation of the program. According to the program, specialists are trained for the needs of the project. The project is being implemented simultaneously in three South Caucasus countries with a total budget of 4 million EUR. The Project is directed so that all specialists from three countries may elaborate a common policy concerning the quality of river resources according to EU standards of biological as well as chemical parameters.

The Kura River (Mtkvari) is the biggest river in the South Caucasus, passing through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and it flows into the Caspian Sea. Its basins are in Armenian and Iranian territories as well. The river is 1,364 km long, while its basin stretches over 188,000 square km. Ecological conditions of the river are considered to be dangerous as it is regularly polluted by dirty industrial and consumer materials. The presence of harmful substances in the river exceeds the maxim amount by 2-9 times.