Water users associations in Armenia : analysis of current situation and future trends

The experience of Water Consumers Cooperatives accumulated in Armenia during the past six years has been mixed. On one hand, some of the cooperatives have provided evidence of being potentially capable of organizing themselves and responding to the needs of their members more effectively than any central governmental organization. On the other hand, many other aspects are still unresolved. Created in 2001 the State Committee for Water Economy (SCWE) agreed recently to follow a more participatory approach in establishment of Water Users Associations and, on the basis of positive experiences worldwide, SCWE is willing also to scale up the process to the level of Water Users Federations.