Although the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Environment agreed to a discharge of 320m of cubic meters of water from Lake Sevan, Armenia’s Minister of Nature Protection Aram Harutyunyan assured journalists on Friday that the level of water in the lake will rise this year as well.

“In 2008, Armenia’s parliament decided in favor of discharging 320m cubic meters of water, but we closed the year with a favorable balance,” Minister Harutyunyan said. The same situation was in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The minister noted that the water will be discharged when required. “This September we will specify the need for water,” Harutyunyan said. He assured the journalists that water discharges from Lake Sevan cannot affect the local ecosystem.