Houses subside, trees dry up
Snowslides have activated in Arap village of Shirak marz causing trouble to local villagers. Most houses in the village were built without a geological survey. Landslides especially deepened after the earthquake of 1988.
The houses built on the mountain slope have subsided by a few centimeters and are on the verge of collapse.
Sargsyans' house renovated last autumn already needs another repair. The Sargsyans dug a four-meter-deep hole in the garden which was immediately filled with water. Every spring villagers find new cracks in their homes with the arrival of new avalanches.
The Hovhannisyans plant a tree in their yard every year which serves as a barometer. In spring the roots of the tree appear on the earth, the tree dries up which means the soil has subsided and gone forward.
The 120 families of the village witness soil subsidence every year but they are unable to tackle the problem themselves. The marpetaran is well aware of their concern and has even raised the issue in the government. In 2008 the government allotted 10 million dollars and sent specialists to the village. They came, examined the area and left.
Tsayg TV, Gyumri
