A trough of water used for drinking and washing
Residents of Shirakavan village in Shirak Marz have to fetch water from long distances all year round.
Barrels and containers of water stand in almost every house of the village.
As soon as the water becomes unfit for drinking, the locals use it for bathing and washing. It is a long time the villagers have not enjoyed the pleasures of bathing in hot water. Mkhrtich Hovhannisyan says half-jokingly he has to enter a small trough to bath himself.
Another major problem Shirakavan faces today is connected with irrigation water. Villagers cannot till the soil for the lack of water. After the locals requested the government to tackle the issue, they were told that it was a local problem and cannot be addressed in any way.
While the government is engaged in finding "a local solution" to this global problem, the number of villagers continues decreasing in the village as no one wants to live in a place deprived of water all year round.
Tsayg TV, Gyumri
