Household trash can be seen along the banks of the Kasakh River where it bisects Armavir’s Aygeshat community.

The areas strewn with garbage, not surprisingly, are not far from residential housing and roadways.

Usually, the river washes the garbage downstream. Now, however, the flow is too low to conceal the eyesore.

Aygeshat Mayor Robert Hovsepyan told Hetq that garbage is collected every Sunday, but voiced frustration that the municipality can’t prevent people from dumping trash willy-nilly. 

“Two months ago, I cleaned the garbage and even hung a sign so that it would not be dumped. In a few days I will clean again and hang the sign. What can I do? Every Sunday we fill 4-5 trucks with garbage. I have even filled the area with dirt, so that they don’t dump there. But they are like pigs and continue to dump,” says Hovsepyan.

The mayor says he’s been told that even the neighboring communities bring garbage and dump it on the riverbank. The river is near the road.

Mayor Hovsepyan does not know how to combat the illegal dumping of trash. He’s even posted signs reading "Shame on those who dump trash". They haven’t helped, he confesses.

Water from the Kasakh River will soon be used to irrigate the area’s fields once the planting season starts.