Reports on Environment and Urban Development for Alaverdy

GEO ALAVERDI: ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

of which are women. There are 1364 factory workers, 763 of which are women. In the past, the 70% of the capable population worked at the mining plant and the textile industry. The ACP Company, established and working in the premises of the mining plant employed only a quarter of the previous quantity of workers. Currently, after the job places cut due to the fi nancial crisis, the number of employers at ACP plant is about 400 people. 4. Public service provision facilities: water supply, waste removal, energy and transport 4.1 Transport infrastructure External transport. The M-6 interstate highway of Vanadzor-Alaverdi- Georgia passes through Alaverdi. The H-35 national signi fi cance highway of Sanahin-Odzun-Arevatsag starts from Alaverdi. As the city is located in a complex topographical area, within the gorge of Debed River, the highways and roads network is not well developed. A number of local signi fi cance roads, leading to the rural communities round Alaverdi start from the city. The railroad Tbilisi-Vanadzor-Gyumri-Yerevan, constructed yet in the 19 th century, passes through the Basin of Debed River. There can be no changes expected in this railroad transportation, as it was constructed 110 years before and needs complete reconstruction. That is the only railroad that links Armenia with the rest of the word. The closest airport is located in Stepanavan, at a distance of approximately 70 km. The one in Gyumri is 116 km far. Internal transport Alaverdi community consists of a group of communities: Sanahin kayaran, Alaverdi, Lenrudnik (Madan), Katsotsk, Sanahin and Akner. These communities are far from each other, both in space and altitude. Hence, the main street of the city, that stretches along the Debed River, and coincides with the M-6 interstate highway (Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgian border), has a length of 9,5 km. By altitude, the differences among the residential areas can reach 250 m. It is natural that the service of residential areas spread in such a way requires a lot of effort. In this regard, Akner is in the worst condition, as it is located on the right bank of the river, at a lowland of 250 m height and a distance of 12,8 km to the closest residence of Katsotsk, whereas in a straight line that distance comprises only 1 km. The same situation is with Madan. If Sarahart, Sanahin and Akner communities are located in lowlands and there is no internal transport issue for them, then the rest are located on slopes with some having no roads to approach. Only the central part of the city and the M-6 highway have active transport moving, for the rest of the roads the intensiveness reaches 20-25 vehicles per hour.

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CHAPTER 2. SOCIO – ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONTEXT

Environmental Knowledge for Change