Irrigation aqueduct in Tsovak
Tsovak settlement of Vardenis enlarged community of Gegharkunik marz has 2718 inhabitants. About 890 families live here, and in recent years, 6 families displaced from Artsakh also settled in the village. Tsovak is one of those rare settlements of Gegharkunik marz, from which there is no emigration.
The main occupation of the population is cattle breeding and farming. However, as a result of the scarcity of irrigation water, part of the villagers refused to cultivate the land, because especially in recent years, due to periodic drought, they could be completely deprived of the expected harvest.
For the purpose of irrigation, people used a deep well, which was quite abundant, giving 26 tons of water in 1 hour. However, the loss of water during irrigation was quite large, as it passed through open, sandy lands and reached cultivated fields and homesteads with difficulty and in small quantities.
Responding to this serious problem, with the financial support of the "Yalkezian" Foundation, we started the "Construction of an Irrigation Water Pipeline in Tsovak" project in the spring of 2024. It aimed at the construction of a 700m water line using RP40 reinforced concrete half-pipes. This infrastructure would effectively deliver water from a functional deep well to the community's arable and homestead lands. The community also actively participated in the implementation of the project, providing labor force and construction materials.
Already this summer, we built the irrigation aqueduct 100m longer than initially planned. It gives farmers the opportunity to irrigate around 120ha of arable land and 200ha of homestead. This program addresses water scarcity in Tsovak by enabling 400 beneficiary households to grow crops such as potatoes, cabbage, wheat, barley and fodder crops. This not only ensures food security, but also promotes the economic development of the village. The project is a significant step towards sustainable agricultural practices and community prosperity.
