ASPIRED is soliciting Bids for the supply of PE pipes and fittings and provision of PE pipe welding and pipeline mounting work under Irrigation Optimization Project in Pokr Vedi Village of Ararat Region.
Bids
must be submitted no later than 17:00,
Yerevan Time, on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. Each bidder must submit one
hard copy of the bid to USAID ASPIRED Project office at CITADEL Business
Center, 105/1, Teryan Street, Suite 204, Yerevan.
The ASPIRED Project participated in The Coca-Cola Stakeholder
Forum held in Athens, Greece on October 16-17, 2019. The USAID’s Water, Energy
and Environmental Advisor Marina Vardanyan presented activities for improved
water management and protection of the groundwater resources in Armenia’s
Ararat Valley, implemented in partnership with Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling
Company.
On July 16, 2016, the USAID Armenia, Coca-Cola HBC and the
Ministry of Nature Protection (now Ministry of Environment) signed a Memorandum
of Understanding aimed at improving use and conservation of water resources in
Armenia. Under this partnership, Coca-Cola Hellenic contributed to some of the
ASPIRED Project’s initiatives, namely implementation of the irrigation
improvement project in the community of Hayanist and the installation of the automated
online system for the groundwater use monitoring in the fisheries of the Ararat
Valley.
Thirty-five stakeholders from 30 countries participated in
the Stakeholder Forum in Athens as part of the water stewardship efforts
pursued by Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company worldwide. The topic of the
current discussion was focused on three dimensions of water stewardship –
climate change and water management, partnerships to address water scarcity and
public education on more efficient use of water. The Coca-Cola HBC supports a
wide array of activities in these focus areas through a global network of
stakeholders involved in the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility
Program.
Kids at the kindergarten are getting ready for lunch
Water is the life’s most basic necessity. In the Armenian Ararat Valley nearly 30 communities face the shortage of drinking and irrigation water. Thanks to the USAID support, 3200 residents of the community of Aratashen have access to clean drinking water all day round.
The USAID’s ASPIRED (Advanced Science and Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development) Project implemented large-scale infrastructure improvements in this community: installation of the new pumping station, replacement of 10 km corroded piping and introduction of the consumption-based metering system. Water is pumped from the artesian well and delivered to the resident after the treatment. It’s safe for drinking and domestic use.
At the local kindergarten.
To the question whether they are pleased with the project results, Nvard Khachatryan, the Director of the village kindergarten, says: “It is such a big relief for us to have water all day round. You only imagine how much water the kindergarten uses for cooking, washing and cleaning on a daily basis. In the past, we used to store water in the big buckets to be able to cover our needs.”
Aratashen village has been successfully operating the new water supply system since June 2019. The results for July-September 2019 revealed the village spent almost three times less electricity and money on pumping as compared to the same period of 2018 – 727,779 and 2.2 mln drams, respectively. The village mayor admitted they had to operate three pumps in the past, still being unable to ensure round-the-clock water supply in their village. The figures indicate there was twice as much water supplied through the network than now due to tremendous losses and inefficiency of the system.
Lena Yegoryan, doing her kitchen work after big family event.
“You can’t even compare it with the past,” Lena Yegoryan, a housewife from Aratashen, remarks. “Before, we had water just for a couple of hours every other day. Of course, we are ready pay now since water is always available.”
The village significantly improved payment rate of water bills by the residents, including collection of old debts in the amount of 1.5 mln Armenian drams. From July to September 2019, the village has earned almost 3 mln. drams for their local budget. As a result, the village could install additional 1800 meters of pipes to deliver water to the remaining three streets with 47 houses.
Reliable and safe drinking water supply was achieved in Aratashen due to the concerted effort of USAID’s ASPIRED and PURE Water (Participatory Utilization and Resource Efficiency of Water) Projects, and the commitment of the community leadership to fulfill their part of the project. Rural projects are sustainable given the local communities have the sense of ownership for maintaining the installed infrastructure properly and ensuring the continuity of the project.
On October 2, the ASPIRED team discussed water infrastructure projects with the Chairman of the Water Committee of Armenia Vardan Melkonyan. ASPIRED team presented the drinking and irrigation water supply projects implemented in the communities of Ararat and Armavir regions, including activities on optimization of unused groundwater wells.
Discussion focused on the experience of the ASPIRED team on ensuring the sustainability of installed drinking water systems, the billing and collection mechanisms applied in the villages for providing water services as well as post-implementation performance monitoring of projects. Mr. Melkonyan mentioned that the experience of the ASPIRED Project could be used for replication in other water-stressed communities of Armenia, which are out of the water utility company service area.
ASPIRED completed construction activities the project on the artesian well optimization in the village of Hovtashat. The output of the self-emitting groundwater well is 82 liters/second which was simply damped into the drainage network.
There is a valve chamber and a booster pump installed on the well to prevent wastage of water and use for irrigation of the nearby farmlands whenever necessary. The project will enable farmers to resume cultivation of 50 hectares of the arable land. Nearly 1.4 mln. cubic meters of water will be saved annually due to more efficient use of water.
ASPIRED is soliciting proposals for preparation of engineering design, bill of quantities, and cost estimate under the Irrigation System Optimization Project in Pokr Vedi Village of Ararat Marz.
Proposals must be received no later than 17:00,Yerevan Time, on July 10, 2019. Offerors must submit one hard copy in Armenian of their Technical and Cost Proposals to the ASPIRED Project office at CITADEL Business Center, 105/1, Teryan Street, Suite 204, Yerevan.
On June 24, the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) marked the successful completion
of water supply improvements in Aratashen community in Armavir. Thanks to this assistance, Aratashen’s 3,200
residents will now receive clean water 24 hours a day instead of the former
four.
USAID Mission Director
Deborah Grieser and Governor of Armavir Hambardzum Matevosyan participated in
the public event, helping launch the community’s new pumping station. Guests then walked through the village and
visited households to see the newly installed water system in action.
For decades,
Aratashen’s old and inefficient water system caused excessive water loss and
posed high contamination risks for the locals. With no capital investment in the system since
the Soviet era, nearly 80% of the water leaked out through corroded pipes. Lack of water metering system, in its turn,
resulted in unreasonably high waste of water. Mayor Vahram Harutyunyan admits they would operate
three pumps, yet round-the-clock water supply remained unattainable for the
village. Some parts of Aratashen,
particularly its remote areas, didn’t get any water during the summer season
when the water demand was especially high.
In response, USAID’s
Advanced Science and
Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development (ASPIRED) and Participatory
Utilization and Resource Efficiency of Water (PURE Water) projects, together
with the community of Aratashen, joined their efforts to rehabilitate
Aratashen’s water supply network. Assistance
included installation of 10 km of corrosion-resistant polyethylene piping, new
pump, chlorination station, and water metering devices, as well as introduction
of new billing software for water supply services. These vital improvements will now allow the
community to save 557,000 cubic meters of water and 204 megawatt-hour of energy
each year.
Aratashen’s water supply challenges are common for more than 30 communities in the Ararat Valley, currently experiencing critical shortages of drinking and irrigation water due to the depleting groundwater resources in the valley. This affects the quality of life and the economic well-being of more than 80,000 people. The ASPIRED and PURE Water projects, funded by USAID, are jointly rehabilitating water infrastructure in Aratashen and four other affected communities in Ararat and Armavir regions. The projects employ modern water and energy saving technologies to deliver drinking and irrigation water to these communities.
USAID’s Advanced Science & Partnerships for Integrated Resource Development (ASPRIED) Project is soliciting Bids for the supply of PE pipes and fittings; provision of PE pipe welding and pipeline mounting work; and the construction of a valve chamber and a pumping station under Urban Irrigation Project in Vedi town of Ararat Region.
Technical specifications and submission instructions and bidding procedure in the full IFB document below:
Bids
must be submitted no later than 17:00,
Yerevan Time, on July 8, 2019. Each bidder must submit one hard copy of the
bid to USAID ASPIRED Project office at CITADEL Business Center, 105/1, Teryan
Street, Suite 204, Yerevan.
Left to right: Executive Director of Hayastan All-Armenian Foundation Haykak Arshamyan, ASPIRED Project Chief of Party Magda Avetisyan and President of Armenia Foundation Maria Mehranian shaking hands of signing the agreement.
On June 18, 2019, the Cooperation Agreement has been signed between the ASPIRED Project, Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and Armenia Foundation for the joint implementation of the irrigation project in Pokr Vedi community in Ararat marz.
The Project will improve irrigation efficiency for 120 hectares of land and return to cultivation additional 40 hectares of arid community farmlands which have been left idle for years due to the lack of water. The project will enable income generation opportunities for 400 land-owners who will benefit from the project.
We are notifying our partners and potential applicants under the IFB Irrigation Optimization Project in Hovtashat Village that the ASPIRED office will be closed from June 5 to June 7 due to the staff retreat. All applications will be accepted on business days before June 5 or after June 7 before the IFB deadline.
