Water Pump in Yazidi Village Repaired; Drinking Water Still Issue

The faulty water pump in the Yazidi-inhabited village of Tlik has been repaired; however, the villagers still do not have access to safe drinking water, Sashik Sultanyan, vice chairman of the Yerevan-based National Committee of Yazidis NGO, told Epress.am on Wednesday.

It had been reported earlier that for over 20 days Tlik had been deprived of water supply due to a water pumping station failure. The villagers had bought a new pump to replace the old one located near the Akhurian river, but they had been denied access to the area by Russian border troops.

Nevertheless, Sultanyan said Armenia’s National Security Service sent an electrician to the station on Tuesday, and the faulty pump was repaired within 7-8 hours. According to the interviewee, however, the Tlik villagers still do not have access to clear and safe drinking water.

“Currently, the river is their only source of drinking water. In recent years, the drinking water has been delivered to the village by water trucks, and the villagers used to buy it for 350 drams (about $ 0.8) per 10 liters; however, the roads are currently closed due to icy conditions, and the trucks have no way of entering the village,” Sultanyan said.