Lake Sevan

Lake Sevan (

Sevan has significant economic, cultural, and recreational value. Its sole major island (now a peninsula) is home to a medieval monastery. The lake provides some 90% of the fish and 80% of the crayfish catch of Armenia.^[8]

Sevan was heavily exploited for irrigation of the

In the Middle Ages, Sevan was solely the name of the island (now peninsula) and the monastery built on it.^[9] In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Russian and European sources sometimes referred to the lake as Sevanga or Sevang,^[16] Per folk etymology, Sevan is either a combination of sev ("black") and vank’ ("monastery"),^[17] sev ("black") + Van (i.e., Lake Van),^[18][19] or the phrase sa ē vank'ə ("this is the monastery").^[20]

The scholarly explanation, first suggested by

The Turkic name Gokcha^{[36][37][38][39]} or Gökche,^[40][41][42] which means "blue lake" was also used in Russian and British sources from the 17th to early 20th centuries.^{[43][10][11][32][44][45]}

Significance

Cultural

Along with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, Sevan is considered one of the three great "seas"^[46] of historic Armenia.^{[47][48][49][50][51]} It is the only one within the boundaries of present-day Republic of Armenia, while the other two are located in Turkey and Iran, respectively. Lake Sevan is considered the "jewel" of Armenia^[52][53][54] and is "recognized as a national treasure" in the country.^[55] The 2001 Law on Lake Sevan defines the lake as "a strategic ecosystem valuable for its environmental, economical, social, scientific, cultural, aesthetic, medical, climatic, recreational, and spiritual value."^[56]

Chardin in 1673 noted the "extraordinary sweetness of the water", the "small Island in the middle of it; where stands a Monastery built about 600 years ago, of which the Prior is an Archbishop", and "nine sorts of fish which are there taken; the fairest trouts and carps which are eaten at Erivan being caught in this Lake".^[57]

Naturalist and traveler Friedrich Parrot, best known for ascending Mount Ararat in 1829 for the first time in history, wrote:

[the] sea enjoys a high celebrity for sanctity with all Armenians, far and near, on account of the many old, and now partly deserted religious houses on its shores; and with all the rest of the natives for its wonderful stores of fish, of which salmon-trout is peculiarly esteemed, being dried and carried to great distances for sale."^[58]

Economic

It is important for the Armenian economy: being the main source of irrigation water, Sevan provides low-cost electricity, fish, recreation, and tourism.^[7]

Origin

Sevan originated during the early Quaternary when tectonic formation created a Palaeo-Sevan, ten times larger than the present lake.^[4] The current lake was formed some 25 to 30 thousand years ago.^[2]

Human intervention

Exploitation and reduction

Background

Sevan was recognized as being a major potential water resource in the 19th century. Its high altitude location relative to the fertile

According to Babayan et al. "by the 1950s it had become evident that the ecological and economic consequences of extensive exploitation of the water of Lake Sevan were too undesirable to continue in the same way."[59]

Arpa–Sevan tunnel

In 1964 a project began to divert the Arpa River (from a reservoir near Kechut) through a 49 km (30 mi) long tunnel to the lake near Artsvanist.^[62][63] The tunnel, called Arpa–Sevan, was completed in 1981. It brings up to 200 million cubic metres (7.1 billion cubic feet) of water to Sevan per year.^[64]

It is estimated, that due to climate change by year 2030, the outflow of the Arpa river will decrease by 22%.^[65]

Vorotan–Arpa tunnel

Since the water level in the lake did not rise as fast and as much, on 20 April 1981 the

After the construction of the two tunnels the water level began rising significantly since the mid-2000s. In 2007 it was reported that the water level had risen by 2.44 metres (8.0 ft) in the previous six years.[69] It reached 1,900.04 m (6,233.7 ft) in October 2010. The government committee on Sevan forecasts that the level will reach 1,903.5 m (6,245 ft) by 2029.^[70]

Water level stood at 1900.44 m in November 2019.^[71]

Population

The Gegharkunik Province, which roughly corresponds to the lake's basin, had a de facto population of 211,828 according to the 2011 Armenian census. The largest settlements in the province are: Gavar (20,765), Sevan (19,229), Martuni (12,894), Vardenis (12,685), Vardenik (9,880), Yeranos (6,119), Chambarak (5,660), Lchashen (5,054), Tsovagyugh (4,189).^[72]

Tourism

Beaches

Lake Sevan has the only beaches in Armenia.

The Armenian government pledged to "reduce the growing commercialization of rest at Lake Sevan that makes it unaffordable for most citizens struggling to find other beach options during hot Armenian summers."[75] In 2011 the government established public beaches in the Sevan National Park's recreational zone. The first two public beaches were opened in July. Some 100,000 people visited the public beaches in summer of 2011. The beaches have free parking space, children's and sports playgrounds, toilets, medical aid stations, and rescue services. They are also equipped with beach couches.^[76] By 2014, the number of public beaches reached 11. Some 200,000 people took holiday there in 2014.^[77]

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  Tufenkian Avan Marak Tsapatagh Hotel (Tsapatagh)
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  Best Western Bohemian Resort
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  The beach of Sevan town
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  The Harsnaqar Hotel Complex

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  View from the northeastern shore near the city of Sevan

Sites of interest

The most famous cultural monument is the Sevanavank monastery located on the peninsula, which was until the mid-20th century an island. Another prominent monastery at the western shore is Hayravank, and further south, in the village of Noratus, is a field of khachkars; a cemetery with about 900 khachkars of different styles. Additional khachkars are found at Nerkin Getashen on the south coast.

In 2017, a

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  Sevan Island
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  Sevan Island
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  Sevan Island
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  Sevan peninsula (formerly an island) in Lake Sevan

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  Sevan peninsula in 2015

Fauna

Fish

Due to anthropogenic impact, changes have occurred in all the biological components of the lake, including bacteria, benthos, and of course fish. Thus, the benthic mass increased tenfold in 1940, due to oligochaetes and chrinomices. Today, the former prevail and multiply the oxygen-rich residue at the bottom of the lake.

The bojak and winter bakhtak species of the Sevan-endemic trout have already disappeared. The summer bakhtak occurs rarely; the gegharkuni is still capable of reproducing naturally. In 1980s, the quantity of Sevan koghak significantly decreased. Numerous reasons for this have been identified:

• The level of the water was lowered, the paths of rivers changed, and the trout (gegharkuni and Aestivalis species) lost their natural spаwning places. Changes in the areas near the shore (mossing, disappearance of macrophyte plants) also had a negative impact on the trout lays. The trout spawn only in certain areas, with oxygen-rich underground water at the depth of 25–30 m (80–100 ft).
• Deoxidization of the bottom is extremely detrimental for salmon, which are used to more than 4 mg/L of O₂.
• In the last 10 years, poaching rapidly increased, which significantly reduced the number of fish in the lake.

Birds

The bird fauna of the lake and its vicinity makes over 200 species, out of which 95 species are breeding.

There are a lot of historical monuments located on the coast of Sevan, ranging from prehistoric

• Sevanavank
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  Sevanavank in 1818

• Vanevan
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• Kotavank
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  Kotavank prior of the renovation
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  Renovation of the Kotavank
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• Berdkunk
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• Odzaberd
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Pollution

The rivers feeding Lake Sevan flow through densely populated settlements which produce agricultural, domestic, and industrial waste. It significantly changes the lake's ecosystem. According to a 2017 study the lake's water contains concentration of metals such as aluminium, nickel, arsenic, cobalt, and lead.^[80]

According to Armenian environmental organization EcoLur, the lake is in a critical condition because of the presence of vanadium. Environmental Impact Monitoring Center, an agency of the Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection, reported in 2012 that the average annual concentration of vanadium (64 μg/L) in the samples taken from Lake Sevan exceeded the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) by 6.4 times, while selenium (26 μg/L) exceeded MPC 2.6 times, copper (21 μg/L) 2.1 times, magnesium (60 μg/L) 1.2 times.^[81] A 2016 study found that mining and metallurgical industrial activities—namely the Sotk gold mine on the southeastern shore of the lake—caused significant heavy metal, especially vanadium, pollution of the Sotk and Masrik rivers in the Lake Sevan catchment basin. According to the researchers it "may have posed health risks to aquatic life as well as to humans (at least in the case of river water used for drinking purposes)."^[82]

References

Notes

Citations