Assessment of the Climate Change Impact on the Quality and Quantity of Drinking Water Sources in Armenia

Abstract

Nowadays the climate change impact on water resources has become evident worldwide. More vulnerable are freshwater resources, the feeding of which depends on atmospheric precipitation and snowmelt water. Freshwater reduction deteriorates water supply and increases water demand. In the recent decade, a significant reduction of the river run-off against the base period has been recorded in Armenia. The reduced river run-off has affected the hydrochemical balance of water resources.

In the present work, we have studied the changes in the river run-off and hydrochemical parameters in the water sources of the Geghi, Meghriget, Marmarik, and Gegharot rivers in Armenia. The resulting data have shown that the climate change reduces the water resources and changes the chemical composition of the river water. The sources of the investigated rivers became enriched with calcium, and the concentrations of iron and manganese in the Gegharot river extremely rise in autumn and exceed the WHO drinking water standards.