Domestic wastewater made safe for agriculture in Armenia

Since December 2009, GWP Armenia and its Partners have been deeply involved in solving household wastewater treatment problems. As a result of long-time lobbying, in 2010 funds from the United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility (UNDP/GEF) were granted to address wastewater treatment in Parakar, Armenia, where it was a serious problem.

Wastewater from this community of 10,000 people degrades land and pollutes underground water. GWP Armenia found an innovative way – a household wastewater lagoon – to deal with the problem and trained stakeholders to operate and maintain it. GWP also helped set up a scheme to collect wastewater treatment charges from householders and charge fees for using the treated wastewater for irrigation. These payments will cover operation and maintenance costs.