YEREVAN, July 20. /ARKA/. Veolia Jur has issued a statement in response to recent social media and public claims regarding the quality of the drinking water it supplies.
The company stated that the water supplied to consumers is under continuous 24-hour monitoring and that its quality is regularly tested through laboratory research, with the results evaluated for compliance with current regulatory requirements.
Veolia Jur also noted that the quality control of drinking water is carried out not only by the company but also by authorized state bodies conducting independent oversight.
"If deviations posing a threat to public health or violations of existing standards were identified, they would be recorded by state regulatory bodies and would become a matter of public notification," the company stated.
The document notes that water hardness is not a criterion for its safety and is not considered a health risk factor; this indicator is determined by the geological characteristics of the specific source. Since water supply in different regions is sourced from various sources, certain physicochemical indicators, including hardness, may vary.
Veolia Jur also referred to new regulatory provisions that will come into effect in 2027, which, according to the company, reflect a change in the approach to the hardness indicator and do not consider it a public health risk criterion.
Veolia Jur urged media, social media users, and other interested parties to refrain from disseminating unverified information about the company's activities that is not based on professional conclusions and official data.
Statement by Arpine Ovanisyan. Former Minister of Justice of Armenia, lawyer Arpine Ovanisyan stated on her Facebook page that collective lawsuits could be filed against Veolia Jur, as she claims that the quality of the supplied water does not meet established standards.
Ovanisyan reported that over a certain period, she organized quality tests of the supplied water in various settlements based on residents' complaints and prior information.
She claims that as summer water shortages approach, artesian water, which has a higher hardness level, begins to be mixed with water from the Garni source.
According to Ovanisyan, artesian water has already begun to be added to the Arinberd and Kharberd reservoirs, as well as in other water supply system facilities.
She stated that as a result, in several settlements, the hardness level of the water allegedly exceeded the standards set by the Ministry of Health.
"This means that a citizen of Armenia pays for water that does not meet established standards. This also means that a citizen can go to court and contest the entire process," Ovanisyan stated.
However, the results of the mentioned tests, data on the locations and times of sampling, as well as conclusions from accredited laboratories are not provided in the statement.
She also raised the issue of the reasons for the reduction in water supply schedules and volumes supplied to the population when, according to her, artesian water is available, even though its supply may be more expensive for the company.
It should be noted that in Veolia Jur's statement, Ovanisyan's name is not mentioned directly.
