Major problems in Armenia=?UTF-8?B?4oCZ?=s north-western border village

The village of Ashnak, situated near Armenia's north-western border (Argatsotn province), has around 1,500 residents and 400 households, with very few dwellings being totally shut up.
Speaking to Tert.am, the community's governor, Gevorg Martirosyan, said such houses make up 1%-2% in the village. According to him, many of their residents travel abroad for seasonal work in summer but they later return home.
"A major problem in the village is the absence of jobs. Ninety percent of the youth is unemployed and is dreaming about finding work. We ask and call for opening some workshop so as our youth could go and work there," he said.
The people in the village earn their living predominantly by cattle-breeding and gardening, things that Martirosyan said are only enough for making both ends meet.
Irrigation water has been a major concern in Ashnak for several years now.
"Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, we received pump station water from the Akhuryan river. But today, we no longer have that opportunity. A villager has to rely on rainfalls in spring, but this year saw a draught, as you know, so there will be no more grain from the 100- hectare of sown areas of Ashnak," said Martirosyan, adding that the chief of the Territorial Administration Ministry's Water Economy Department has promised to provide a solution to the problem.
Drinking water too, appears to be a problem in the village as the shortage of irrigation resources causes most villagers to use drinking water for their gardens."There is one spring today for the entire village. We supply drinking water to the population for [limited] hours – three hours in one district and three hours in another. The village will not have a drinking water shortage if the problem of the irrigation water is done away with," he noted.
Matevosyan further spoke of asphalt pavement problems, noting that most highways in Ashnak do not have an asphalt surface at all. The community governor said that he has turned even to the president with the problem and is hopeful to receive a positive response in the near future.   Read more... (356 words)

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