Epress.am News from Armenia
The threat of desertification faced by the Ararat valley is already evident to not only experts, but also the ruling authorities, reports local daily Zhoghovurd.
The first alarm call was associated with the ruthless exploitation of artesian wells, as a result of which several criminal cases were launched.
The newspaper reports that a new problem of desertification is growing in the Etchmiadzin region. Here there is mostly sandy soil, and sand is building material that is much in demand. For this reason, many villagers, unable to cultivate their land, sell them, and the buyers convert the land into sand pits, which after they are exploited become deserts or swamps.