YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The safety of not only big Kechut and Marmarik reservoirs but also 22 small ones will be ensured by 2009 under the World Bank's Armenian Reservoirs Safety Program. Adibek Ghazarian, Director of the RA Water System Reforms and Development Program Implementation Office, informed NT correspondent about it. At the same time, he said that insufficient funds hinder the implementation of work, particularly prevent the work on increasing the capacity of reservoirs. A. Ghazarian pointed out the urgent need for reservoirs in Armenia: there were projects for constructing 150 new reservoirs in the Soviet time. According to him, the construction of new reservoirs is envisaged by the Millennium Chalenge Program. Studies on construction of 12 reservoirs, mainly on the slopes of Aragats Mount and in the Martuni and Meghri areas have already been completed, the feasibility studies of 7 of them have been carried out. 80 reservoirs currently operate in Armenia, 22 of which have been repaired.

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