Yerevan Residents March for Cleaner Air

People in Yerevan, Armenia, are pushing for action on the city's air pollution problem.

On a recent day, a group of activists, wearing respirators and gas masks, marched through Yerevan's city center. The group wanted the government to do something about the poor air quality. Novosti Armenia, a news source, reported that the protesters gathered in Republic Square before marching to show how bad the environmental situation has become.

A video from the news agency showed one of the protesters, named Roman, explaining that the march was meant to get the government to pay attention to the air problems in Yerevan.

The protesters didn't chant any slogans. Instead, they carried a few large signs, including one that said, Save the Earth. Some people also held smaller papers with messages in Russian and Armenian, like Our Planet - in the Dump, Give Us Back the Air, and We Need Air. Police officers accompanied the marchers.

According to Votak*, many of the protesters were from the Russian diaspora. One participant was quoted saying, Unfortunately, clean air is more important to Russians than it is to Armenians. I tried to get my friends to join, but they didn't.

The article noted that some Armenians who support the government might see the Russian diaspora's involvement as a sign that the protests are backed by the pro-Russian opposition.

Yerevan's Mayor, Tigran Avinyan, said before that the bad air quality wasn't because of construction. He blamed it on things like arson, fires, and smoke from homes that use wood for heating. He pointed out that even burning a small pile of dry leaves can release more harmful substances than a construction site does. These substances stay in the air for hours, especially during winter when there isn't much air movement. Avinyan mentioned that the air quality was generally green or yellow during the summer, but since November, it's been mostly harmful or harmful for sensitive groups, or even very harmful. He gave orders to prevent arson in residential areas and to keep a closer eye on these kinds of activities, Armenia Today reported on November 24.

According to Kristina Vardanyan, who is a professor at Yerevan State Medical University and a member of the opposition National Progress faction in the Council of Elders, the cutting down of trees in Yerevan is contributing to the issue. She stated that “The only filter that protects the air from pollution—trees—is being cut down throughout Yerevan.”

Vardanyan thinks the air quality in Yerevan is getting worse. She suggested planting trees on the hills around the city, like they did in the past. She said that because Yerevan is in a valley, forests are needed to keep the air clean. She also mentioned that improving water resources and sanitary conditions, regulating construction sites, restricting old and heavy vehicles, and cleaning the city with water and vacuum cleaners are all needed. We can't simply cut down trees along highways and destroy Yerevan's urban-ecological framework, because streets are ventilation corridors. High-rises built in the city center in recent years also disrupt aeration. As a result, we have become hostages to the situation we ourselves created, Golos Armenii quoted her as saying on November 29.

Back in the summer of 2024, around 200 people in Yerevan protested the removal of healthy trees from the city's streets. All these incidents emphasize the growing worry among residents about the deteriorating air quality and its influence on their health and well-being. The call for action is becoming louder as people want the government to take strong steps to deal with the causes of pollution and carry out plans to make Yerevan a healthier place to live. These plans could be planting more trees, controlling emissions, and supporting ways to make the environment better which could lead to a future where the city's air is cleaner and its residents can take pride in a sustainable urban environment.