When asked today by reporters if he would take steps to halt wells owned by former Armenian prime minister Hovik Abrahamyan and his brother drawing water from the Ararat plain, Minister of Nature Protection Artzvik Minasyan said the government would go ahead with its plan to conserve water resources no matter who owned the wells.

“It doesn’t matter who owns the wells or who is behind their operation. Two principles are important for us. The first is whether a well is legal or not. The second is whether the well meets the standards of efficiency set by the government,” Minasyan said.

Minasyan said that the water usage problem in the Ararat plain had reached a critical level despite some successes since the government launched a drive to go after illegal wells in the area known for its agricultural production and large scale fish farms.

The minister said that this year, 5,378.5 liters/per second had been saved due to the program.