InternationalATP expands tree planting in Spitak's Little Glendale
Published: Tuesday January 24, 2012
Post-earthquake buildings in Spitak. Via Wikimedia
Spitak, Lori Province, Armenia - Just 100 kilometers northeast of Yerevan is one of Armenia's most well-known cities. Spitak is the southern gateway to Lori, a sparsely populated but ruggedly beautiful region of Armenia.
As early as 1800, migrants from Iran began to settle on the hills of Spitak but it has only officially been a city for the past 75 years.
In Soviet times, Spitak was a city of industry. The city and nearby villages were home to up to 20 factories producing a variety of products from cheese, sugar and flour to clothes and even elevators. Over 21,000 inhabitants lived in the city. The government enticed many people to move to Spitak to work in the industrial plants or on collective farms by offering free apartments to individuals who moved to the city.
The history of Spitak, however, will forever revolve around one day. On December 7, 1988, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck the city. The epicenter of the earthquake was a mere 2.5 kilometers away. Various factors contributed to the widespread destruction and loss of life. These include the time of day, freezing winter temperatures, and poorly constructed high rise buildings. Some estimates put the death toll at 4,085 in Spitak, where every building was destroyed. Initially it was illegal to rebuild homes on the same site as the broken buildings so the whole town shifted and new homes were built on farmland.
Reconstruction of Spitak has been a long and painfully slow process that continues to this day, some 23 years after the earthquake. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the demise of the initial reconstruction efforts and the young republic was too cash strapped to oversee construction on its own.
The population of Spitak has not fully recovered although the city continues to grow. Currently, there are 15,500 people living in the city. After the government put reconstruction out to bid, the Glendale Hills construction company won the right to develop new residences for the city.
The new housing has been dubbed "Little Glendale" as a tribute to Glendale, California, home to America's largest Armenian population. In Spitak, 220 private homes have been built including both one and two bedroom homes. Each home is surrounded by 400 sq meters of property that is private and each family can use it as they like. Much of the money for the new development was provided by the Lincy Foundation.
Although there is still a lot of work to do, much has already been accomplished. The city has largely been rebuilt. City administrator Vartan Sahakian points out that every new home and office has drinking water, heating, gas, and electricity. Just outside the city, irrigation water is pumped from the Chichkhan River into storage ponds. The ponds serve as swimming pools for the children during the hot summers before the water is eventually used for irrigation.
Armenia Tree Project (ATP) has also joined the effort to rebuild the city of Spitak. In 2011, ATP specialists toured the city and selected several appropriate tree planting sites. It was decided that the city urgently needed new trees and the community expressed an interest in collaborating with ATP. After several meetings with the city administrators, the urban greening plan was put into action.
In spring 2011, a total 465 decorative trees including arborvitae were planted throughout Spitak including in Glendale City. Trees were planted along city streets, in front of homes, and on a playground in the center of town. In autumn, an additional 1,000 trees were provided to the city. ATP plans to expand its planting activities in Spitak in 2012.
"ATP is excited to work in Spitak and Glendale City," stated ATP Community Tree Planting program monitor Navasard Dadyan. "After we evaluate the success of these initial plantings, we will provide fruit trees to families in Spitak in the coming months."
ATP's mission is to assist the Armenian people in using trees to improve their standard of living and protect the environment, guided by the need to promote self-sufficiency, aid those with the fewest resources first, and conserve the indigenous ecosystem. ATP's three major programs are tree planting, environmental education, and sustainable development initiatives.
For more information about ATP, please visit the web site www.armeniatree.org.
